Redemption
by LadyAkuma20
Summary: When Loki is found guilty of Treason, he is sent to Earth to atone for his sins... much to the Avengers' dismay, that means Thor has sent him to join them. Meanwhile Wanda Maximoff mourns her brothers death, and contemplates joining him, battling anger and depression of her own. Can they lift each other up and grow to be better people? [Loki/Wanda] *Ch 10 brings in the GotG!*
1. Chapter 1

\- **_"Your punishment, brother, is that you will be forced to atone for your sins. You must right the wrongs you have done. And as such, hopefully, you shall grow as a person."_**

The words of his brother rang in his ears as they traveled towards Heimdall and the rainbow bridge. Shackles clung to his wrists and ankles, and he shot an annoyed look over at his dear older brother.

"Where are you taking me, exactly?"

Thor returned the look with a frown. "To where there is the most work to be repaired. Think back…you know exactly where thou is going."

Frowning, his eyes grew angered. "No, you arrogant swine, I refuse! There is no way I will work on that dirt ball with salt to 'repair' anything. You'll have to kill me first."

His blond brother's eyes narrowed. "If you stay here, brother, that's exactly what's going to happen. You'll be put to death. I did you a kindness by coming up with an alternative."

"A kindness? You're exiling me, you bastard!"

Thor had the decency to at least look sympathetic for a moment, before chastising him like a child. "You brought this on yourself."

All Loki could do was glare as they continued their journey.

* * *

"Wanda, you really must attempt to socialize every so often… it will lift your spirits."

The even toned voice behind her door made her roll her eyes and grow more annoyed, if that were possible. She had no wish to be here, she wanted to go mourn in her home… oh, right, her home was gone. Ultron took that from her too.

"Vision, I appreciate what you are trying to do, but please, leave me alone."

An hour later, another voice echoed. "Come on out, Red. We'll order pizza, what do ya say?"

Stark. Her eyes flared up in anger as she marched to the door and pulled it open. "I say no. I say leave me alone. You already have me basically locked up here, with nowhere to go. I train with the rest of them, although we never see you there, because I suppose you think you are better than us, no? Just leave me alone. What I choose to do in my own spare time is my business."

The door slammed behind her, and Tony was left standing there flabbergasted. He'd known Wanda was not his biggest fan, he just had no idea how little she actually liked him. Grumbling, he turned and headed towards the kitchen, stopping as he passed Vision.

"Next time you want to convince her to come out, do it yourself and keep me out of it." he said, as he walked by.

At around that moment, as he reached the main living area of Avengers Tower, that's when the flash of light filled the room. They were expecting Thor… they were not expecting his jackass younger brother. (by adoption)

"Buddy, you better have a good reason for bringing him here… I know quite a few people who'd like to kill him." he paused as he heard a gun cock and an arrow get drawn into a bow. "Case in point."

"I had no other choice."

"No, see, there's always a choice. This is not a good one."

"Oh shut up, you alcoholic nitwit. Do you think I want to be here? Is this a face that screams, 'God, yes, please let me have to come to the dirty little dirt ball planet, with the ignorant little peons, and socialize with them for a while'? No, it's not. I have no wish to be here either." the slicked back black haired man shot Tony a look as he pointed.

"See, man? He doesn't wanna be here, we don't want him here? You should take him home."

"Splendid idea."  
"No."

Loki and Thor spoke at the same time, as they exchanged an unpleasant look. "If I take him home, he'll be killed."

"Is that really such an awful thing?" Clint snarled, causing Loki to sneer.

"The archer. How have you been? Have you made yourself useful to the vagabond group of people you call a team yet?" Loki chuckled as Clint raised his bow once more.

"I'd rather be useless than be a dick."

"Ah, right to the point, I love it."

"ENOUGH!"

Thor's voice rang through the building so loudly, the windows shook, and occupants in the rest of the house were alerted to his presence. Wanda, a look of annoyance on her face, got up and stomped to the door, heading towards the disturbance angrily. She rounded the corner to witness Thor removing the shackles on his brother's appendages, revealing a thin bracelet.

"He is of no danger to you. The bracelet on his wrist will prevent him from doing anything related to a dark thought. It's the only way I was able to even arrange this punishment. He can harm no one on this team, or in general."

Loki growled lightly and then sneered at Clint, who still had his bow aimed at his nose. "Well let's test that theory, shall we?" he said as he attempted to use his sorcery to knock Clint on his ass and shoot that bow in his face. Instead of that happening, however, he was greeted with an electric shock so severe that he actually let out a shout and hit the floor, looking at his arm in shock.

'No. No no no.' His mind was racing, as his eyes darted from his traitorous brother and back down to his wrist. Shock turned to anger, and anger turned to rage. He stood quickly and grabbed his brother by the collar.

"How DARE you shackle me with some trinket designed to injure me!"

Thor shook his head in annoyance. "It's not meant to injure you, brother. It's only meant to curb you of your ability to harm anyone who does not deserve it. To stop you from giving in to your darker thoughts."

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!"

"Actually…I do, until father is well enough to decide if he should change your punishment. I had the bracelet designed to run off of the unlimited power of Mjolnir, it will shock you in varying degrees if you attempt to use your sorcery to do harm to good people. "

At that, Loki grinned darkly, and let go of Thor's collar. "Only on my sorcery?" he said, as Thor's face wrinkled in thought… then realization struck as Loki pulled back his fist and hit his brother square in the jaw. The two began to fight viciously, blows being struck so hard that furniture was breaking and debris flew everywhere.

It was when a large shard of glass from a broken table flew into the air and sliced Wanda's arm, lodging itself in it, when things got interesting.

Suddenly, time stopped. Things hovered, people, who had been letting the two gods handle this among themselves, froze in shock, and the two gods were frozen in place. A red aura filled the room, and eyes turned to Wanda, who's eyes were glowing a bright red color and her hands were twitching.

Loki's face twisted to glance at the sorceress as she separated him from his brother. Her arm, which was dripping blood from around the glass, twitched angrily as the wisps of red magic flowed from her fingertips. As his face shifted to a grin, her magic imploded on itself, sending him in one direction into a brick fireplace, and sending his brother in the other direction, into a dining room table that was across the room.

Her breathing was ragged and her eyes darted around anxiously, as if she was seeing things that were not there. Almost immediately, Clint dropped the bow and rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her to look at him.

"Hey, Wanda? Hey? Eyes on mine, ok? Breathe." he said, as she shook lightly, angrily, the webs of magic fading away.

Thor peeled himself from the dining room table, taking Natasha's hand as he stood and shot Wanda a look.

"What's wrong with her?"

Natasha's eyes grew sympathetic, as she spoke. "We think it's PTSD. She lost her brother, she watched her homeland as it was destroyed by Ultron, and she's having problems with her powers. She refuses to see anyone though. And you see what happens when she gets angry, her magic lashes out."

Thor's face turned from confusion to a frown. Stark, he had a similar problem months ago, after the attack on New York. It had taken him a while to get over it, and even still, it bothered him on occasion. The man had died, he would be in Valhalla right now if he had not been startled back to life by Hulk.

Loki, on the other hand, was intrigued. "Woman…" he grunted slightly as he pried himself from the bricks in the fireplace, eliciting a groan from Stark as he heard cash registers going off behind his ears. "How did you do that?"

Her eyes darted to his, and she then realized her arm was wounded. Gripping the shard, she pulled it loose, glaring at him as Clint grabbed a handful of paper towels. She owed him no explanation, no reasoning.

"Mind your own business."

With that, she looked at Clint as he spoke. "Wanda, you're gonna need some stitches. Let's get that taken care of." he said, leading her out of the room.

Loki's eyes twinkled as she left the room, his mind working a mile a minute. His brother moved over to him, and glared.

"Are you done, brother?"

Loki had the decency to look contrite. "Quite."

"Good. I have business to attend to in Asgard, but I plan to return in a few days to see how you're doing. Prove yourself worthy, and you will likely be welcomed back home with open arms, eventually. Father needs time to grieve…" he said, looking down, a wave of sadness washing over him.

Loki's face fell as well. It had not been too long since they had lost their mother… the wounds still felt fresh to him. He'd barely had time to grieve, after all, he had hidden his father away and assumed his throne and appearance, meaning he had to appear strong, and without doubt. He had, thus, been mostly unable to mourn, even in moments of solitude.

Nodding to his teammates, Thor left in another flash of light, and left Loki with the rest of the Avengers.

Silence ensued, a long silence which seemed to last an eternity. Finally, he grinned lightly, mischievously.

"So, where do I sleep?"


	2. Chapter 2

Well, he had not been expecting this.

No, he shockingly was not in a cell, rotting away. Apparently some of what his brother had said, along with a message sent later on as he had stared down the barrel of a gun, had swayed these mortals to give him lodging that was…while not exactly what he was accustomed to…was at least hospitable.

Someone had even provided some clothing, although he did what he had to in order to make it have the proper color and fit. Sorcery had it's uses, after all.

It had been a couple of days, and he had not left the quarters he had been given, but finally, his hunger was stronger than he could stand anymore. So, pulling a deep green shirt over the dark denim pants he had decided to wear, he cracked open the door, and hearing minimal noise, ventured into the halls of Avengers Tower.

Deep in thought, he began to ponder… he could do so much harm to this place, but…to what avail? It would do no good. And whether he would admit it or not, he wanted to go home at some point. Exile was not something he wanted for the rest of his days, despite what others in his homelands seemed to think.

Muttering, he glanced at the silver metal on his wrist, gleaming in the light like a reminder of his entrapment. "Guess I'm stuck here."

"You and me both."

The voice startled him slightly, as he glanced towards the fireplace, at the figure clad in black leggings and a dark red, long shirt over them, her reddish brown hair pulled in a bun, her eyes focused on the fireplace.

"How are you stuck here, exactly? I don't see a shackle on your wrist." he said, walking towards the couch she was sitting on, leaning against the back of it as she stiffened.

"You… have not heard of Sokovia?"

He blinked, his face blank. Should he have? "I've never had time for news of the events taking place on this planet like my brother has." There, that was a simple enough answer.

Her head turned lightly, and she allowed her eyes to meet his for a moment before returning to the fireplace. "I am a prisoner of circumstance. My country was destroyed by Ultron. I have nowhere to go."

Ultron he had heard of. His brother had spoken of Ultron a good few times. It had been a battle of epic proportions, from what had been described.

Silence ensued for a moment, and the sleeve of her shirt rose as she scratched at her bandages. His eyes darted to the wound that would be under the bandages, and his memory flicked back to the fight with Thor in this room. Stark worked fast to repair everything, at least.

"About that. My apologies." he muttered, his eyes focused on the fireplace.

She shrugged. "I've had worse."

He glanced over at that. She looked rather frail to have dealt with much violence. She didn't even seem fully in control of her abilities. "You don't look it." Before she could reply, he glanced towards the kitchen, and in the other direction. "I refuse to ask the rest of those idiots anything about this lavish prison, so maybe you can assist me. Where is the alcohol, preferably scotch, and the food."

Cracking a smirk at that, she looked at him. "Right." Turning, she pointed towards the kitchen area. "The refridgerator is stocked, there is an oven to cook, and if you want take out, there is a phone book and a land line phone next to the counter. I don't use it because I feel no need, but if you're not much of a cook it may come in handy. And the alcohol is in that middle cabinet. Stark keeps it stocked."

He nodded with mild appreciation, and headed into the kitchen area, leaving Wanda to watch him walk off. He was leaner than Thor, she noticed, which had surprised her. She thought all Asgardians were large and muscular. Underneath the lean build were defined muscles, so he did stay in good shape. And underneath all of that, she sensed a torment similar to her own.

One might think that would be comforting, but the additional chaos was anything but. If anything, it was slightly off-putting. As he scoured the cabinets for a glass and the alcohol, she watched, learning what she could from his movements.

She thought back to Sokovia. Thanks to that place and the battle that had ensued, she was feared, and alone. She was tired of it, she missed Pietro… she just wanted to be with him again.

In a way, this man, and his attitude, reminded her of Pietro. Maybe that was why she felt a bit more open towards him. Either way, though…

She stood up, walking into the kitchen and eyeballing the food as he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"What the hell is this crap? Peanut Butter? Mayonnaise? Some god awful scented, neon orange noodle dish? Is there really no meat? No fresh fruits?" he looked absolutely revolted at the various leftovers, and she nodded.

"Unfortunately, fresh fruits and fresh meat are not the top of the list for the people here. They like to order everything out, except for Steve, but they banned him from cooking because of how dated everything he cooked was, and how absolutely undigestable it seemed to be." she said, as he sighed.

"What the hell is all of this? The last time I was here, my meals came from… more sophisticated places." he said, as she shrugged.

"I have no idea for some of it. We did not have some of these things in Sokovia, and besides that, Pietro and I preferred to make our own food, from scratch."

His eyes glanced up to meet hers for a second. "Pietro? Friend or Lover?"

She let out a small sigh and a smaller smile. "Brother, actually."

Loki glanced around again. Aside from the robot and the man in the bird suit, and of course the woman, he had not seen anyone new. "He has no gifts then? Or did he decide to go elsewhere?" Seconds later, he realized he had put his foot in his throat, as her eyes went down to stare at the marble counter top.

"Dead. So he went elsewhere, without me." Quietly, she reached for the alcohol on the middle shelf, and poured a healthy glass. Her drink of choice, aside from Sokovian wine, which she could no longer get, was Vodka, and the kind that Stark kept in the house which came out of a glass skull, was smooth and crisp, but would still burn an untrained drinker. She began to sip it, no trace of discomfort on her face as she nursed the drink.

He made the attempt to look as though he didn't care, but in all honesty, he did feel bad about accidentally bringing up the subject. One thing people never understood about him was, behind and beyond the trickery and mischief, there was actual love for those he was closest to. He had no love lost for Odin Allfather, but he still cared for his brother, and he had deeply loved his mother. Finding out about his differing parentage from Thor had not, all in all, changed what he felt about them. It had simply fueled his resentment to the man he had called his father for all that time. And in witnessing the way his brother had changed, being around these mortals, he had considered that they were not as beneath him as he had originally thought. His mother had always had compassion for these creatures, so, to honor her memory, he had thought about it and decided to do the same. He had then taken the throne from his father in a moment of arrogance, which he owned up to once caught. It was not as though Odin had been in any shape to rule anyhow at that point. If anything, he had done him a bloody favor. Thor had then discovered his ruse, and ripped him off the throne, and thrown him in the dungeons again.

Apparently, to most Asgardians, he was now worthy of worse than death. His brother had taken pity on him and decided to exile him instead, while assuming the throne while their father recovered.

He would have preferred death at that moment. Anything rather than being dragged up to the throne room to witness that oaf he called his brother on the throne.

His mind snapping to the present, he grabbed a glass and poured the scotch that Stark kept in the cabinets, taking a huge gulp before his face screwed up and he spit the remainder of the drink from his mouth. "UGH! What IS this swill?!" He glared at the bottle, as Wanda took it and sniffed it, then chuckled. 

"Moonshine. It smells nothing like scotch, why did you grab it?"

"It's IN a scotch bottle!" he said, pointing as he wiped the last of the drink from his lips, as she glanced at it.

"So it is. I believe it's Clint's, he seems to like that awful excuse for alcohol. What you're looking for…" she glanced up and grabbed the proper bottle. "Here."

He took the bottle and nodded. "Thank you." Pouring himself another, clean glass, he took a careful sip, then sighed in relief and took a larger gulp. "Much better."

After a moment of them drinking, he thought a moment. "I don't believe we were ever properly introduced."

She gave another ghost of a smile. "I think you are correct." 

"My name is Loki Laufeyson, son of Asgard, God of Mischief." he said, taking her hand and gallantly pressing his lips to her knuckles, as she shook her head in mild exasperation at the show he was making of it. 

"I'm Wanda. Wanda Maximoff."

She had only met one other person who behaved similar to this, and that had been her brother. Perhaps that was why she didn't rip her hand away immediately in annoyance. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and grabbed the phone book. "I don't think you will find anything to eat that you want in the Tower, but we can order something if you want?" she said, as he gave her a look, having released her hand moments before.

"We?"

She shrugged. "Unless you prefer to dine alone? I'm…tired of it." she said, as he grinned at her. She raised her eyebrow. "What?"

"Are you my friend now?" he asked, in a mock child's voice, making her chuckle.

"Just pick a damn place to order from so we can actually eat and not get plastered on alcohol."

He chuckled and smirked at her a bit. "And we will be paying… how? My brother didn't exactly leave me an allowance. Although I could always 'make' some." Mischievously, he made a wad of hundred dollar bills appear in his hand, as she shook her head.

"Or I could charge it to Stark's personal accounts." she said, the barest of smirks leaving her lips. "How else do you think I've been eating since being shoved into this ivory tower?"

Impressed, Loki let out a small laugh. "Even better."


	3. Chapter 3

Sighing, Loki kept his eyes on the bare, steel beamed ceiling of the training room as various objects flew around them in an attempt to disarm, and chastisely injure each person in the room. Various little metal orbs flew around, shooting energy beams, small projectiles, basically anything that could put them on their ass without actually hurting them.

The problem was, he found the whole thing quite boring. He had only moved once to dodge a single orb that had been flung at him by Barton, rolling his eyes in the process.

It was not like he had volunteered to be in this room. The warrior woman, Natasha, had basically threatened to castrate him if he didn't join them for this venture. Well, that and she had told him that she would have Stark remove his (begrudging as it may be) access to his charge account. No charge account, no meals or groceries. He was awaiting a shipment of fresh meats and vegetables and fruits, with spices, and would be furious… no… disappointed… if his food order was turned away and not paid for.

And, you know, having been there two weeks now, he was actually a bit bored.

So, begrudgingly, he had gotten a pair of black sweatpants, a black tank top, and some sneakers on, and had headed to the training area.

However, his lack of giving a damn was annoying the others, which was amusing him to high heaven.

Which was why he was too busy cackling in his hiding corner, kicked back against the wall, as one orb was flung into his 'head'… 10 feet away. The illusion glanced at everyone in the room as it rolled it's eyes, and the 'mewling quim', as he had once called her, turned off the simulation, the orbs all dropping to the floor.

"Seriously? You can't even take a fight seriously?" Natasha wiped sweat from her brow with a grumble as she glared into the corner, where he had been spotted, his illusions dropping. If looks could kill, she would have him on a spit and roasting.

"This is not a fight. This is stupid."

"It's team building!" she spat at him, as he rolled his eyes.

"What team? I've seen the Archer working by himself, the Star Spangled Idiot running like a chicken with it's head cut off, and Stark isn't even here to grace us with his presence, once again. Your main three powerhouses on this 'team' can't even get off their esteemed backsides to 'train'. Besides that, no one has even furnished me with a weapon to train with. So what is there for me to do?" Loki kicked back and closed his eyes as if to take a nap right there in his corner spot.

Wanda, who had been watching with intrigue, black tights and a red spaghetti strap shirt on, simply hid her hand behind her mouth at the commentary. It was everything she had wanted to say, with no filter to stop the words.

Natasha was less than pleased however. "I cannot control Bruce, Stark, or your brother even." Loki was impressed, and amused, that she knew exactly who he was talking about. "But, that being said, I have three more 'powerhouses' in this very room. I would LIKE to get them working together as a team with the rest of us, so we're not utterly screwed the next time we have to go out there and do something. And since Cap is a little bit behind the times when it comes to technology, I'm in charge when we train."

Loki's eyes rolled, but he did give her a look. She considered him to be equal to his brother? "And my staff?"

Natasha's eyes narrowed. "The thing you had in New York? You won't be getting that weapon back."

He shook his head. "No, you idiot. That is a scepter. I am talking about my staff. It's my primary weapon on Asgard, and I use it to channel my sorcery, but that's not the main use it has."

Natasha looked at him surprised. He was…cooperating? Rudely, but…baby steps. "Thor never gave it to us-"

"Typical. The moronic oaf. How does he expect me to be of use without a weapon? We had the same stupid issue months ago when he asked me to help him…"

"BUT. If you want, we can always have one MADE. I can get damn near any weapon made, as long as you tell us what you need." She neglected to add that it would simply be a hunk of metal, but that was besides the point. His eyes had actually snapped up and looked…flustered.

"You would do that?"

She looked as trusting as she could, but it was not her that spoke. "Thor sees something good in you. We'll give you a chance to prove him right." Steve said, as Loki, surprised, looked him in the face.

Something good in him? He'd been doomed to be nothing more than a throwaway son since he was found as an infant, and brought to Asgard, spelled to permanently look like the Asgardians. He had come to call that place home, had no memories of Jotunheim, and yet, to spite Odin, he had taken to saying he was from that cold, dead place. He had come to love, yet be insanely annoyed, by his idiotic, brawns over brains excuse for a brother, and had done what he would have once thought to be unthinkable, and in a moment of rage upon finding out his true lineage, had taken the throne from the collapsed Odin and banished his brother permanently, tried to kill him and his mortal woman, and even tried to kill all on Jotenheim, just to gain the favor of Odin. And what had Odin done? He had turned his back to him.

So, fueled by pure rage, he had instead decided to come to Midgard, to Earth, and take over as their benevolent, yet strict, King. He was foiled by the Avengers, and taken back to Asgard. He was imprisoned. And during that time, his mother… Frigga, was killed. He felt immense anger that Thor had not saved her, and he felt, for the first time in a long time, guilt, that he had not been free to save her himself. He had agreed to help Thor for revenge, and came to appreciate his brother, up until he saw an opportunity to be free of the dungeons, and he faked his own death.

It had been a perfect plan, until Odin had collapsed into an Odinsleep in front of him as he pretended to be a soldier, and delivered the news of his own death to Odin. That was when he had moments to consider… does he call the guards, does he reveal himself, or… perhaps… maybe he could put Odin in the sleep chambers himself, and he could take his place.

The last option had seemed best.. but it had been for naught when Thor had found Odin asleep in the sleep chambers, and stormed into the throne room, yanking him from the throne and forcing him to show himself.

That last stunt had landed him here.

But apparently, after all the crap… Thor thought he may have some good in him. He didn't trust him enough to remove his bracelet, mind you… but then again, if the roles were reversed, he wouldn't trust himself either, to be fully honest.

"Well I don't know why anyone would see something 'good' in me…" he muttered, but he nodded anyhow. "I'll need a weapon similar to my own if you want me to do this 'training' exercise." he said, as Steve nodded briskly and walked up to the weapons cabinet and pulled out a basic metallic spear.

"Will this work?" he asked, tossing it to Loki, who caught it swiftly. He spun it expertly in his fingers, Asgardian training taking over as he tested the weapon. No one had realized how adept he was at hand-to-hand, and how he could fight without the power of the Tesseract. It went behind his back, between his shoulder blades, causing his body to curve and move to flow with the weapon. Coming to a stop, he nodded.

"This will work, for now. Gold alloys are my metal of choice, they conduct magic best, but this… what is it, steel? It will work for a short time period."

Most of the room was looking at him as if he was a frog who had begun to speak. The shock on their faces at Loki being reasonable and actually working with them was palpable. All but Wanda, who had been getting to know the mischievous man who had been living in the shadows of Avengers Tower. Up until now, the only one he had been tolerating was her.

He was slowly opening up to tolerate the others as well.

"Alright. Natasha, let's try this again. After this, we'll stop and get lunch. Some of us have been at this a while now, and could use a break." Steve said. Natasha nodded and started up the orbs again, as they flew to life.

Things then began to get truly interesting.

As two orbs encircled Wanda, and two more encircled Loki, the others were one or two to a person as well. Loki was dodging the projectiles with ease, now that he had a weapon and gave a damn, he was actually proving he was pretty damn fluid and good with his weapon. Wanda was working to control her orbs, and shut them down.

An orb broke free of her control, and due to the chaotic nature of her magic, malfunctioned. It began to zoom towards her, not only to maim, but to fully incapacitate. It was out to kill. The projectiles were shot with such force that they actually cut her, causing her to yelp and Loki's head to whip around.

As the orb sent another round out, Loki swiftly dived over and grabbed her, pulling her down and against him, and sending the projectiles into a wall. He grunted as the orb circled them. "Whatever your name is, redhead, turn the damnable things off!"

Natasha's eyes whipped over in time to see Loki's staff swing once more, sending more projectiles against the far wall, and her eyes widened. She quickly shut the power down, causing all but the one orb to drop. The one, however, was glowing red with Wanda's magic.

"It's not working!" Natasha looked worried, and began to push buttons on the device.

"I'm sorry! I do not understand what happened!" Wanda cried out. Her power had been touchy since Sokovia, and since no one had been around to work with her, who understood how to weave the magic she wielded, she had been trying, and failing, to work on this herself.

Loki didn't answer, instead, as it charged up lasers, he threw up a shield of magic, but the strength needed for that drained him a bit. He glared over to Natasha. "Give me permission to destroy that damnable tinker toy of yours."

She simply nodded. "Permission granted, just shut that thing down using whatever force necessary."

His eyes shone for a moment as he grinned. "With pleasure." As he took the spear, he swung it hard at the orb, causing it to ricochet onto the wall behind them. As it came back, he used his sorcery to seemingly cause Wanda and himself to vanish. The orb paused, unable to locate them using it's optical sensors, and began to search the room. After a moment, they seemed to reappear, at which time the orb shot back over to them and began shooting, the projectiles going through them.

Loki appeared behind it, and knocked it to the ground, then stabbed it, causing it to sputter and spark as it died. He kicked the now useless hunk of junk to the side, and looked to Natasha. "Redhead..."

"Natasha." she said, glaring a bit at the name he was using for her.

"Whatever. Why in the world is that damnable thing not immune to our various gifts?" Loki asked, crossing his arms. "Training tools should not be able to be malfunctioned by the very people who are using them to train. Who created these damn things?"

She hesitated, before muttering one word. "Stark."

Another glare, and another kick to the broken orb, and then he was walking to Wanda, inspecting her wound. "It's superficial. Why have you not been trained for your specific gift?"

She was about to answer when Steve spoke up, Vision behind him. "We have no one qualified to train her. Her power is kind of a mystery to us, to be honest."

"I have attempted to assist her in her powers, but they work in opposite ways of my own." Vision said, as Loki nodded.

"Well of course they did. She's not mechanical. Your powers come from that trinket in your head and the wirings in your body, hers are more permanent and they're organic, they're a direct wiring into the very core of the magical realm. Her magic is chaotic in itself, you are, for lack of a better word, pure order and the exact opposite of chaos." he looked at them all, shocked. "Has no one really learned a damn thing about magics on this planet since years and years ago, when magic was openly practiced?" He recalled the time he would come to Earth in disguise and teach humans how to wield basic magics, and was surprised to hear that the art had been lost to the mortals.

As no one could say otherwise, he let out a breath, not of annoyance, but of sheer confusion. "I cannot believe these arts have been truly lost to your people. It's something that some, many, have the gift of wielding, but it takes skill and training to become adept at it." he looked to Wanda, offering his hand to help her up. "I'll help you learn about your gifts. It seems I'm the only one qualified to teach you about them."

No one said a word as she took his hand, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. She felt… relief? And her face showed it too. "That would be wonderful… it would be a pleasure to not feel absolutely lost and out of control when I attempt to use my gift."

Clint came forward, and yanked Wanda away from him. "Over my dead body. I don't know what you're playing at, but-" he was cut off by the spear Loki held being pressed into his jugular.

"If I wanted you all dead, I could have done it in your sleep by this point, Archer. That goes for all of you. I may feel annoyance at being forced to come here, and I may even feel apathy towards assisting you, but I am not out to kill you. I could kill you now, but I won't. You get no say in Wanda's training, or what she chooses to do. She is not a child. Stop treating her like one." Loki glared, and dropped the spear a moment later. He'd been treated far too often the very same way that Wanda was treated by these people. They had to realize it was not right.

Clint glared, and pulled his bow up, about to aim it at Loki's head, when Wanda spoke up. "I want to learn to use my power, and Loki can help me. If he is willing, why would this be a bad thing?" she asked, as Clint turned to her.

"Wanda, you don't know him like we do. He's an evil, dark man-"

"He's never been an evil, dark man to me. He has been kind to me thus far. And remember, Barton, I was initially told you Avengers were evil, dark people. If I had not stopped to discover the truth, I would still be attempting to kill you all with Pietro…" her face fell, and Clint sighed.

"I'm sorry Wanda, but this is different. You don't KNOW him-"

"Did you ever stop to think you do not truly know him either?" Her words struck Clint hard, and Loki looked at her with surprise as she turned to the door. "Maybe you all do not know me as well as you think, either." With that last statement, she headed out of the training area, down the stairs to the living area, wiping sweat from her brow.

Clint's face fell as he watched her walk off, and Loki gave them a look.

"Well, this has devolved into a true waste of time. If you don't mind, I would like a shower, clean clothing, and perhaps a meal. When you people get your heads pulled from your asses, please feel free re-invite me to another invigorating training session." he said, giving them a mocking bow as he left the same way as Wanda, heading towards his room.

Clint snarled. "Him being here is a mistake, Cap. He's going to betray us, he's put some kind of spell on Wanda-"

"Actually, he has not. I scanned Wanda's body while she was having her rant, and nothing was off about her. She was, for lack of a better word, simply 'pissed off.' " The Avengers' Tower AI spoke up around them, causing Clint to roll his eyes.

"Your scans can't pick up magic…can they?"

"They can. The gem in Vision's forehead is mystical in origins, and Mr. Stark has studied it and found a way to implement it's power in my systems, therefore I am not limited in my scanning capabilities. I can register magical manipulations in my scans." The AI finished, as Steve leaned back against the wall, thinking.

"Well, we saw what happens when he crosses us. Maybe we should leave him be? He may prove us all wrong." Steve said.

Slowly, Loki was beginning to earn their trust. All but one, that is. Clint's eyes remained dark and annoyed.

* * *

At that moment, Loki was finally reaching his room, and stripped his sweaty, damp clothing from his body, letting it hit the floor as he strode to the shower and turned it on, the heat permeating the room.

As he stepped in the stream, the hot water flowing all over his hair and down his body, releasing a sigh of relief from his aching body. He grabbed the soap from the edge of the shower, and sniffed it, wrinkling up his nose. The scent was a sandalwood scent, not what he would prefer, but he would tolerate it. At some point he needed to get on that damnable computer and order proper toiletries.

Soaping up his chest and working his way down, he eventually got suds all over his body, and allowed the water to rinse him clean, leaving his scent finally more pleasant than he had been before he had gotten in. He smirked a bit, realizing how much he had missed a good fight.

That was one thing you didn't get to do as much on a throne… hand to hand combat. His body had readjusted to his training rather quickly.

Grabbing the shampoo, he lathered his black locks, the foamy soap hitting his shoulders, which were toned up slightly from the work out, the muscles getting some much needed use. He rinsed, and after spending a bit more time conditioning his hair, he stepped out and grabbed a towel from the rack, and wrapped it around his waist, before hearing the tapping of a knock at the door.

Wondering who that could be, he walked over and opened the door, just to be placed face to face with Natasha. Her face went from stunned, to open staring, and to embarrassment, all in about point five seconds.

"Can I help you?" he asked, pinning the towel around his waist.

"Uh. No. I mean, I'm sorry I bothered you-"

"I'm obviously not doing anything right now. What did you want?" He asked, giving her a look.

"Right. Steve wanted to invite you to lunch. You and Wanda. We would invite Vision, but he doesn't eat… and Clint…"

"Let me guess. My name hit your lips and he told you, in so many words, to go screw yourself?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Natasha put a hand on her hips. "So, are you up for joining us?"

Thinking about it… he smirked. It was nice, for a change, to be trusted… "Sure. I don't see why not."

"Great. I suppose we'll see you downstairs then?"

"That would probably be wise, unless you're wanting to see exactly why I had women falling at my feet in Asgard?" he worded it like a question, and caused her to turn redder than her hair.

"Not even necessary. I swear, men sometimes…" she muttered as she walked off, leaving him to shut the door and snicker. He had been joking, but, she didn't need to know that. Well, about the women at his feet part, not the insinuations behind it.

With a grin, he pulled on a pair of undergarments and grabbed a pair of black pants, buttoning them on his hips. He grabbed a green t-shirt, a forest, more emerald shade of green, and pulled it on. He pulled on socks and shoes, and combed his hair back, then headed out the door of his room, shutting the door behind him.

Perhaps a little outing would be fun.

-to be continued in Chapter 4, when things get a bit interesting


	4. Chapter 4

Loki's eyes met Natasha and Steve's as he headed down the hall to the living area, a smirk on his face at the red blush going across Natasha's face still. Wanda was heading down at the same time, hair delicately dried and pulled back out of her face, held on her head in a high ponytail. Her black high heeled boots clacked on the floors, and the noise caused Loki to halt, and turn. He smirked a bit, and gestured for her to join him as he continued to head towards the other two. He lowered his voice a bit, looking down at Wanda.

"So, are you thinking veal? Perhaps something more patriotic, for Rogers… maybe some Apple Pie and dashed dreams?" As he spoke, he grinned a bit at her hidden snickers, as she elbowed his side.

"That is not right, Loki."

"I never claimed to be 'right'. I am, after all, the 'God' of Mischief, as your history books call me…" He winked as he said that, and twirled his finger around in a circle. After a moment, there was a thump and loud swearing coming from Barton's room.

Wanda's eyes widened. "What did you do?!" she asked, worried slightly, but hiding a grin.

"He's a little tied up is all. Not to worry, m'dear."

At that, they reached Steve and Natasha, who were giving them strange looks. Wanda looked worried, and at that, checked her clothing. "Is there something wrong with my attire?" She twirled and checked out her red short sleeve dress and black leggings that she had on underneath, as Natasha shook her head.

"No, no. Sorry, it's nothing. Let's go eat." she turned, and as they began to leave, she stopped and shot Loki a look. "Untie him."

He shrugged, but maintained the grin as he waved a hand. Thuds could be heard coming from Barton's room upstairs as he got up and headed for his door.

Hurriedly, Steve ushered them all out, and they got into the elevator and headed for the car garage.

The garage was filled with various expensive vehicles, one of which Rogers used his keys to unlock. The blue paint of the car had an almost metallic look to it, and Loki took the rear right seat. Natasha took the passenger front, Steve took the keys, and Wanda took the seat next to Loki. Loki gave Rogers a glance as he started the car and used the controls to take the top down.

"Are you sure you're accustomed to vehicles produced after the 40s?" He gave Steve a skeptical look, as Steve glanced back and nodded.

"I'm a fast learner, I've been practicing."

"Oh that's reassuring-" Loki muttered, then gripped the interior as Rogers hit the gas and pulled out of the parking spot, Natasha opening the doors of the garage and pulling on sunglasses as they pulled out into the sun.

Wanda shielded her eyes, as she wasn't all that used to the sun, and blinked as a pair of stylish shades appeared on her face. She glanced over, noting that Loki had on his own pair, and was looking out at the buildings with a small smirk on his face.

She opted not to say anything, since he didn't seem the kind of person who was too into mushy gratitude.

Upon driving for about 20 minutes, they reached an area loaded with restaurants and shops. Rogers parked, giving Natasha money for the meter, then looked back at them.

"What sounds good?"

Wanda looked thoughtful, as Loki simply shrugged. He would eat just about anything. As Wanda glanced around, her eyes came upon a little hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery, and she smiled. "I have grown a fondness for pasta." she said, pointing to the place. Rogers glanced over and nodded.

"Sounds good to me!"

As they headed down the street and into the building, Loki's eyes took everything in. He noted the construction workers heading into the nearby bank building, for example, and the babies being pushed down the street in a stroller by their mum, the mum stopping next to the bank for a coffee at a little cafe while the babies napped.

His eyes went front again as they reached the eatery. A rather nice waitress, polite and kind, directed them to a table, and the four sat, and after a moment, ordered drinks and meals. As the waitress left to take the ticket to the chef, Rogers spoke up.

"I want to apologize for earlier. If we're going to be a team, we have to trust each other and spend time getting to know each other. Wanda, you're right, none of us can help you with your abilities, not like Loki can. Loki, you're right, she is not a child and should not be treated like one."

Loki let out a, "Hmmph.", but he listened intently.

"I don't know what happened with you and Thor, he's never told us much." Natasha spoke up this time, glancing at Loki. "I'm the first one who can tell you that sometimes, though, things aren't what they seem to be. Barton should have never given me a second chance. I murdered people. I murdered children, if they were the target. But I changed."

His eyes glanced over to her, his expression not changing. "Try being the son of a Frost Giant, the son of the very KING of the Frost Giants, kidnapped as an infant and permanently spelled to practically be an Asgardian, raised as an Asgardian, raised to believe you were equal to your 'brother', to find out later that no, you are not going to get the throne you've been teased with since infancy, because you are not an Asgardian. Imagine watching your brother, who you used to watch for years, annoyed as he was a bumbling, war mongering oaf who only rejoiced in war, women, and song, become primed to take that throne, even though you were his polar opposite. It may drive you to try and prove yourself… And once I attempted to fake my death, start anew on another planet, the damnable Allfather went into an Odinsleep in front of me. I took the throne to not cause a panic and to free up my idiot brother so he could help you people. But no, I didn't get to explain that, not that anyone would believe me." he muttered as he finished, taking a gulp of the soda that was brought to their table. He let out a hiss as the carbonation hit his throat, then looked over as Wanda patted his shoulder.

"I believe you. I've been misjudged many times, as something I am not." She smiled a bit, as he blinked at her.

He wanted to say he appreciated that. He wanted to say that no one had truly believed him with sincerity before. Instead, he simply nodded his head.

Steve nodded. "Well… Jane Foster changed Thor. Working with the Avengers changed Thor. Maybe it can help you to put some of your rage to rest."

Loki thought about that. It would be nice to not be so angry at the world anymore. He was annoyed with everyone, sure, but he had rage, and deep down he wanted it to stop.

Steve turned to Wanda next. "We want to help you, too… tell us how. Just tell us what you need exactly and we will-"

Wanda gave him a look. "What I need is Pietro, and you cannot return him to me." she said simply, making Steve sigh and run his fingers through his hair.

"If we could, we would… he was a good kid, in the end."

She sighed. "He was always a good kid. You didn't know him as anything more than the annoying man running circles around you and making your lives difficult, up until he helped you all defeat Ultron… I knew he was something more."

They sat in silence for a few moments, as their food was brought out to them. Loki eyed his angel hair pasta with alfredo sauce and lobster, and took a fork full, before starting to eat. Wanda poked at her ziti that was smothered in vodka sauce, as Steve started in on his spaghetti and meatballs, and Natasha took a bite of her lasagna.

They ate in silence, barely making eye contact, most of them regretting deciding to come out for this excursion, as the ground beneath them shook, and glasses tipped over.

Steve looked up, confused. "Earthquake?" he asked, as Natasha shook her head.

"No, that was too concentrated…" she said, as the ground shook harder moments later, and the bank next to the eatery began to have structural problems. Steve stood up, as a blast shook the area, sending debris and shards of building flying out.

No one had time to do anything, and moments later they were pulling themselves off the ground, as Steve assessed the situation. Before he could speak, Loki put his hands up.

"I swear, this time, it wasn't me."

Steve quickly began to assess the area for damages, Natasha spoke up.

"What happened?"

Loki thought back to the various things he had spotted before they had headed in. The mother and her babies… the construction workers in the bank…

He slapped his forehead. "Gods I really am dense sometimes." he said, as Wanda gave him a look.

"What?"

"Right as we came in here, I saw a group of people dressed as construction workers go into the bank. It didn't seem out of place, but thinking back, they had large bags with them. They're likely robbing the place.

Natasha started swearing and began making phone calls, as Steve moved towards the now-existing hole in the wall. "Let's go, someone's going to need our help."

As they left, Loki stopped at their waitress and flashed her a charming grin. "We'll take all of that to go, I think. Add it to Tony Stark's tab."

My god, he'd never tire of charging stuff to Stark's tab.

As he stepped into the street, it was chaos. People were fleeing from the bank, some of them were shot. Grabbing a broken pole from the street, he brandished it as a weapon, and headed into the fray. A few bank robbers should be pretty simple. Years ago, he'd simply use an illusion to fight, but in this case, he didn't think he'd really get hurt, to be honest. Besides, he was basically bulletproof.

He moved towards the bank, hearing the sounds of fighting. Natasha and Steve were inside, while Wanda seemed to be helping people get out. He moved near her, as she pointed.

"Most of them are being handled, but one is below, he's got more explosives. I was going after him but Steve told me to stay here and do this…"

Loki rolled his eyes. "This is good practice for you. Come with me." And with that, he started strolling towards the outer access to the bank's lower levels. Wanda's eyes got wide, as she stood for a moment, debating what she should do…

Following Loki won, and she found herself behind him, as he eyed the area, his look getting more serious. "My God… if he uses those explosives down here, the people on the street will not have a chance."

Loki simply nodded in agreement, as he came across the man. Stopping Wanda, they ducked behind a pillar, as the man worked to attach his explosives to the building. Loki waved a hand, and an illusion appeared behind the man, getting his attention. As the man started swinging, Loki's illusion dodged and just appeared to grin. From the other side, Wanda snuck behind him, and with a swish of her fingers near his head, the man soon fell unconscious.

Loki's illusion faded, and he stood, proud. "Well done." he said, as they suddenly heard it.

*Beep…beep…beep…*

The sounds of a timer. Wanda's face paled, as Loki moved over to the man. His vest was clear, but his hand… there was a remote with a button.

"Oh my God… Steve… Natasha… All these people!" Wanda panicked, as Loki lifted the man over his shoulder and waved a hand.

"I'm warning them, I've got illusions warning them. Get out!" he said, as he shoved her towards the exit. God only knew how much time there was until the device blew, and he didn't want to be there when it happened. He wasn't 100% sure what all Thor had done to him before exiling him, or if that bracelet did anything else to his body.

They reached the top, and Loki assessed the situation himself. The blast shouldn't take out the block or anything, but the people that were around, which his illusions were telling to clear out, having taken the shapes of the other Avengers, they could be hurt.

He moved Wanda out of the blast zone, as he watched Steve and Natasha leave the bank, and put the criminal on the ground. And he heard it. A wail, more like a mewl, and a woman screaming.

He turned his head, and saw the mother with her two children from before. She was stuck, her babies thrown from their stroller, crying among the rubble. He looked to Wanda. "Do NOT follow me." he said, as he ran to the coffee shop.

As he knelt, he quickly lifted the debris off the woman, and helped her up. "Can you walk?" he asked, as she nodded. He quickly helped her get the babies, and he held them to her, as he rushed her away from the blast zone.

Behind him, he heard Wanda shout and collapse to the ground, her head bleeding. The man, no, the cockroach, had a weapon raised up, the barrel of it smoking.

Loki felt his stomach wrench. She must have been watching him, and let her guard down. As Steve and Natasha watched, Loki rushed forward, his mind moving towards killing the sorry excuse of a soul in front of him. As he raised the pipe, to channel his magic into a blast, he felt the bracelet shock him, and he hit the deck. His eyes widened, as he looked down at Wanda, who was so close now, he could see the mark on her head. He couldn't tell if it was a graze, or if it was worse… He looked up to see the man's gun raised at him, as he stood, fast.

The man fired the weapon, and the building exploded in a rush of color and noise.

After that, it was chaos. Tony arrived moments later, and began to stop the building from fully collapsing on people, although large chunks of debris was now laying where Wanda, Loki, and the man had stood. They cleared the civilians, as they were always priority one, and the criminals were handed over to the police, as Tony began to clear the debris.

Lifting each chunk of the building, he worked with Steve, who was moving the smaller bits, as much as he could, until they found the man, who had been crushed to death, and was now basically soup. Steve went pale, and moved quicker, moving more and more pieces of rubble.

They heard a cough.

As they grabbed the last bit of the debris and lifted it, they revealed Loki on top of Wanda, shielding her from the weight of the debris. Her head was caked in mud and blood, and his face was smeared with her blood. They moved to help him out, as he let out a cry that turned into a frustrated laugh.

Upon further inspection, they spotted a bullet wound in his abdomen. He gave a dark, almost bitter laugh.

"I guess my brother wasn't fully honest about what that bracelet did after all." he said, before the world around him went from day to night, and he fell back to the ground in a heap next to Wanda.


	5. Chapter 5

Groaning, Loki raised his arm and shielded his eyes to block out the light that was coming at him from all sides. He was… in a medical unit? Sucking in a breath, he shot up, sitting up straight, and immediately regretted it, grabbing at his stomach, where he felt a bandage.

"You're up! You were kind of touch and go for a few, but you're doing alright now. You had a bullet go into your abdomen and lodge itself in your liver. We were concerned with your…unique heritage, that we'd be unable to perform surgery to remove it, but we managed to get it taken care of. You're actually healing remarkably fast now that we have the bullet removed." the man who had been checking his vitals was speaking to him, making sure he was doing alright.

His head was swimming, and he rubbed his temples. "How long have I been out?"

"A few days. We supposed you needed some time to rest."

Suddenly, his head cleared a bit, and his eyes began to dart around the room.

"Where is she?"

"Ms. Maximoff? Being treated in the room beside you. Her wounds looked a bit more substantial, but nothing vital was hit. The head wound was a graze, it caused her to lose a lot of blood, but she'll recover. Of course she has a severe concussion from the rubble and falling, but aside from that, she's alright. You saved her life."

Loki sat back, letting out a breath. Not that he cared to admit it, but he had been pretty worried about Wanda. The doctor put his chart down, and left the room right as Rogers came in, a bandage on his head, covering some scrapes and bruises.

"You're awake."

"So it would seem." Loki said, before bringing his hands together thoughtfully. "Have you had a chance to perhaps speak to my brother about how, exactly, I was able to take a bullet to my god damned liver?" His voice was eerily calm, despite the obvious rage.

Rogers, choosing not to chastise him on his language, looked pissed on his behalf. "I did. He came to check on you as soon as someone named… Haim… Doll…"

Loki chuckled at that. "Heimdall. Continue."

"Right. Well, after Heimdall told him what had happened, he came to check on you. He seemed surprised that it was able to happen. I told him to take the bracelet with him, but-"

"Let me guess. No."

Rogers gave him a sympathetic look. "Right. I'm sorry. You really hauled butt out there with us today, though… so in my book… you're alright." he said, as he turned to leave. He turned his head for a moment, though. "I appreciate you saving Wanda. She's been through a lot…"

Shrugging, Loki looked as though he could care less. "I've heard."

Rogers gave a small grin, before leaving the room.

Loki sat back, his head going back against the pillows with a sigh. So, the bracelet made him practically mortal, huh? And Thor wouldn't remove the damn thing, because… of course he wouldn't. His fists balled up as he let out a laugh of dark amusement. So the thing would hurt him and would allow him to be hurt. That was a bit more than he had been bargaining for. And without his armor and weapon, he was a target.

He heard a knock, and waved his hand. "Please tell me you come with food. Apparently I've been on a liquid diet for a few days."

"I do not have food… but I could always get you some?"

He sat up quickly at that, ignoring the pain. "Wanda. How are you?" He could see the bruising on her face and arms, and probably her legs as well. She had a bandage on her forehead, covering the nasty gash from where she had barely missed being shot in the head.

"I am alive. Sore, but alive. I am told I have you to thank for that." she was looking at the ground. "I am… so sorry. I was watching him, he was out… so I moved to watch you, make sure you helped that woman… I heard movement, then I heard… I saw a flash. And I woke up here. They told me what happened when I woke up."

He let her finish speaking, then he shook his head. "I left you alone with him. It was equally my fault as it was yours." 

A tear fell from her cheek. "The same thing happened with my brother, you know… I deserve to be there with him. I should not be here, Loki. I should have been helping him, not sending him on his own… I got him killed, and I should have been there! I should have helped you, I should have done what you asked and kept my eyes on the man! I should be dead! I wish I was dead!" her body shook as she ranted, and her hands began to glow, strands of magic shooting out and hitting objects, causing them to float, as she grew more and more hysterical.

He recognized it. He'd been there before. He'd been there when he had heard of Frigga's demise. So as she began to wish for her death, he quickly stood and grabbed her hands.

"Stop."

He said it quietly, but with enough force that she stopped raving and looked at him. Her face was tear stained, where she had been sobbing as she spoke. He was shocked to see that she was torn up about this. He looked her in the eyes, and a look of confusion hit his face.

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"

She just looked at him, surprised by his statement. "Do you feel you are worth so little that no one should care?"

He thought about that for a moment. Frigga had cared, but Frigga was dead. Thor claimed to care, but he left an item on him that could leave him wounded, in ways he would not be wounded otherwise. But…did he think he was worthless?

"No. But, you hardly know me. How in the world do you feel so confident that I am a good person, that I am someone you want to be around?"

"I am a good judge of character. I can see the good in you, that you refuse to see yourself."

They were silent for a moment. He got the chance to look into her eyes, and noticed their blue hues. As he stroked the back of her hands, the chaos magic ebbing in the room died off.

"You are worth far more to people alive than dead. If you were meant to be dead, you would be dead."

She shook her head. "No, I was meant to die multiple times… the goodness of others kept me alive."

"And that should mean something. Don't make those sacrifices worthless. Believe me…When I lost the closest thing I had to a mother, no, wait… she was my mother… anyways the first thing I did was destroy everything around me. All I felt was this immense guilt that I was in a dungeon when it happened… instead of helping to save her. I was helpless. I felt like I deserved death. And then I was offered the chance to get revenge. I discovered things about my brother that I had not known, and together we got our revenge. Ultron is gone, but what he wanted to do, that is not gone. There will be more like him. Take that rage and hate out on them. Not on yourself. Do not eat yourself alive."

He noted her hands shaking, and he pulled her to sit on the bed. "Would you like a quick lesson in magic?" She nodded, so he showed her how her hands we shaking. "Magic is governed by a few things. One of those is ability, an innate talent for the craft. You obviously have that. There is intellect, or the knowledge to use these skills. And then, we get to emotion. When you lose control of your emotions, and get too excited, or angry, or upset, your power, being that it is chaotic in nature, lashes out. It will jolt out without your control. When you lose control, you are losing the delicate balance that comes with your abilities." With that, he turned her to face him, as he sat facing her on the bed. Taking her hand, he spread his fingers, and placed her hand against his, and then used his sorcery to send out pulses of magic.

"Close your eyes. Do you feel that? Not see it, but feel it? That pulse is in you as well. It is in anyone who can use magic."

"I was augmented, I was given the ability to do this…" Her eyes did not open, but her voice sounded skeptical.

He made a sound of dismissal. "That does not matter. Your gifts were not chosen for you, you were simply gifted with the last bit of the puzzle you needed TO use the gifts. You were gifted with the key to unlocking it. It was likely always there, dormant, within you. Now concentrate. You wanted my help. Do you feel the pulse?"

Her eyes closed, she slowed her breathing to match his, and felt the magic ebbing in his fingers. She felt, after a moment, a second pulsing. Her own magic was pulsing with his, in tune with his. She nodded. "I feel it."

"Good. Remember that. Because that pulse is going to be the calming wave you need to gain control of your emotions, and thus, your powers."

She opened her eyes to look at him. She noticed his hair, which was normally slicked back, was actually hanging in his face in gentle waves as he kept his hand on hers. His face, normally clouded over and hiding his emotion, was open, and the inner good she had been sensing was there for her to see.

She smiled, and wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Would you like a meal?"

He blinked at that, and gave her a look. "Are you asking me out, as your people call it?"

She shrugged. "I'm asking you if you want a meal. You can take it as you want." Her face did not match her words, though. Her words felt laced with inner sadness still, and harshness, but her face, and eyes, had a new warmness to them.

He chuckled. "Sure. A meal sounds nice. But I think for at least another day, I'll be needing room service. And I don't think I'm leaving Avengers' Tower for a while. I've had enough excitement for at least a month."

She nodded, and grinned at that. "I most definitely agree with you there. How about this. I will pick a movie, you can pick the food. Living room of the Tower, when you're out of here. Not going to lie, I have another night in this place still, too."

"It's a deal." he said. She looked at him, as she moved to leave, and he grabbed her hand to stop her.

"Wait. Sit. I have an idea."

A short time later, as a nurse came by to check on them, she stopped at the door, as flicks of red and green magic worked in tandem to send various objects gently across the room, and the woman who had always looked so grim in her four day stay seemed to be smiling a genuine, very broad smile. Behind her, the God of Mischief himself had an equal smile on his face.

For the first time in a while, they were content. And all it had taken was a pulse.

In an observation room, Thor looked at the computer screen and gave Rogers a strange, almost pained look.

"Why are you showing me this? I cannot change his sentence."

Steve shook his head. "I'm not asking you to. Look at him, Thor. He's not even as angry as he was a little over two weeks ago. It's been three weeks, and he's been getting to know everyone. But you've got him at a disadvantage. He has no weapon, no armor, and now a physical weakness. He can be killed. You don't want that."

"Of course I do not want that! Why was he on a mission two weeks in, anyhow?"

"It wasn't a mission. We had him and Wanda out to lunch, to talk, and to tell them we appreciate them. Loki offered to teach her how to control her magic. Wanda accepted, but Clint went off. I was apologizing for that. Some goons were robbing a bank, and we got caught up in it. He saved a lot of people, including a woman and her babies."

"Loki does not need your apologies."

Steve shook his head. "You're right, he doesn't. But I owed them nonetheless. He claims, by the way, that he took up the throne to keep you open to be with Jane and to help us. He says he was going to leave Asgard and come here, start over, when your father fell into what he called an 'Odinsleep'."

Thor snorted. "And you buy that? Why would he have not told me this?"

"Maybe because you wouldn't have listened?"

Thor grew quiet, and Steve continued. "I'm not asking for the bracelet to come off, but at least give him his gear. We may need him in a battle. He's vulnerable like this. If he was still as invulnerable to the attacks that most would throw at him, then sure, but I think if Hulk got hold of him right now, he'd kill him with one swing."

Thor didn't speak, but he did nod.

"I'll have his things sent down. The bracelet stays."

With that, Thor left the room, and moved to leave the building, and Steve turned to look at the two as they continued to move things around Loki's medical room, and had begun to laugh at something one of them had said. Smiling, happy to see his teammates content, Steve turned and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

*tap tap tap*

Loki's fingers drummed on the window's edge as he looked down at the busy streets outside. Must be nice to be out there and not cooped up in some stupid room.

It had grown frosty over the last few days, whereas before it had been t-shirt weather. Apparently there was some kind of heat shift. Anyhow, he was now preferring longer sleeved dark green shirts and black slacks to go with them. A far cry from the short sleeves and convertibles that they had been able to use merely a week ago.

Then again, what else did he expect from December? He had no idea about most Midgardian customs, but something called Christmas was coming up, and it meant exchanging gifts, and he really thought it would be a nice idea to get something for Wanda.

He had barely had any visitors, aside from Wanda and occasionally Rogers, which left him bored out of his skull. He'd been doing some light reading, but the books on this realm made his brain hurt. Seriously, a magical school that no one without magic would ever find? Because they'd willingly leave their maps uncharted? And whoever told this woman who wrote that Fifty Shades of Grey shill that what she wrote is what BDSM actually is needs to be fired. He'd left all of his books in his rooms, and the ones he did have were for when he had downtime, and were all easily finished in short time frames. He'd even resorted to watching the television, not that it made the day pass any faster.

Someone, by the by, really needed to go to Jersey and smack the over-baked little troll known as Snooki. Talk about obnoxious.

In fact, that was one of the things he and Rogers had been chatting about, was the obnoxiousness of television and the horrible quality of the general literature that was out there… Rogers had promised to bring him a book called The Stand in to read, so he had that to look forward to.

He continued drumming his fingers on the window, as the door to his medical room opened. "Still here I see." the familiar voice of Wanda called to him, as he turned from the window with an annoyed look.

"Unfortunately. It's been 3 days, but they insist that I stay until the wound vanishes, in case there's more damage they're missing. All that's left is a stupid scab, I've even picked it loose a few times to prove how superficial it is." he grumbled, moving to a chair and flopping into it. His Asgardian/Frost Giant genetics made him heal far easier, but the bracelet, which he called his cuff at this point, on his wrist was limiting that ability. "Interestingly enough, I asked them to run some testing on my blood while they had it. Apparently, when Odin spelled me to look like his people, he literally shifted my genetic makeup to make me Asgardian. The Frost Giant in me is still there, obviously, but there's also actual Asgardian, similar to Thor's DNA actually. I think the old man actually made me his son when he found me." he said, as Wanda sat and nodded, placing her large bag next to the chair she had sat in.

"That has to be a shock… how are you feeling about it?" she asked, concern on her face. Normally, he wouldn't even worry about answering her, but… well, they had in fact grown more close over the last few days.

"I don't even know. I'm surprised, of course. Not too upset… Kind of torn… It makes the loss of Frigga harder, because I think she was, in a way, my mother, genetically even. It explains the affinity to magic that most Frost Giants do not have that I have always had." his hand ran through his hais, and he turned to her with a smile. "Enough about this. It was just something I had thought about. What did you bring with you?"

Her face lit up, making him more curious. "I bought a game." she said simply, bending down to rummage through the bag. She pulled out a colorful game case, causing him to peer down at it.

"Just Dance? What is that?" he asked, curiosity piquing his interest. She smirked, and shrugged.

"I told you that I used to enjoy dancing with Pietro, right? This is a dancing game. I thought you may like playing it with me." she grinned, as he cocked his eyebrow up.

Normally, he would simply have something snarky to say, but Wanda had been spending a lot of time with him. He felt a warmness towards her that he hadn't felt in a long time. There were few women who were actually interested in a trickster like him. So instead of being his usual snarky self, he allowed himself to stay open to the idea, and smiled.

"Sure. Why not."

With that, she grinned and pointed at the TV. "I'm going to go ahead and get it set up, alright?" she said as he nodded, and he turned and began using his magic and Asgardian strength to move the furniture around, making a dance space.

As he finished, he flopped into the chair, which he had left facing the TV, and watched as she started the game and set up profiles, and got to picking a song. She had flung her coat and her hat onto the bed, as it had started to get chilly lately, and he watched as she turned and grinned at him, as the music began to play. She began to move to the song, which was called Tik Tok, and his eyes followed her hips as she moved.

She could take even a song like this and make it sensual.

He could feel lust for her growing as he watched her move, and he simply leaned back in the chair, holding back any visible signs of his attraction. Her hips swayed, her body jerked and moved to the beat.

He was imagining all the things those hips could do, when she finished her song and turned to him. "Your turn."

He sat up at that, intrigued. The device that could read his movements was seeming to stare at them.

"Uh, excuse me?"

She gave him a look. "It's your turn. You said you'd play with me, so it's your turn to go."

He bit back his quip at that, and got up, gesturing for her to sit. As he got familiar with the controller, he went through the song list, until he picked one he had heard and enjoyed the beat of. He selected it, and took in a deep breath.

"I hope you know, I would not be playing this for just anyone." He said, glancing back at her, making her blush, but say nothing as the song Moves Like Jagger began to play. She watched as he began to copy the person on the screen, and he got a mischievous look on his face as the character changed clothing the first time. At the second time, he did the same thing, his clothing shifting with each clothing change on screen in a flash of blue light.

She laughed, clapping as he danced around, and she noted the way his body moved. He was lean, almost nothing but muscle, but not in a muscle-man, overly muscular way. He moved with fluid intent, and it was nothing if not attractive, to say the least. She couldn't help but flash back to the laughs they'd shared recently, and the time they had spent together, and smiled.

She had to admit, her feelings towards the God of Mischief had grown. She pulled her red sweater over her knees, her black leggings peeking out from under the sweater, and she smiled as he did another costume change.

He finished his song and looked at her with a smirk. She gave him a look back, but hers was more like Uh oh than anything else.

"You have that look…" she said, as he shrugged, but kept the look on his face. He then moved over to her and pulled her up off the chair. It was then that she looked at the screen and saw what he had picked next.

A duet. I've Had the Time of My Life, to be more exact.

As it started up, they were side by side, and they moved like they had danced together before. Well, in a way, they had. They'd fought together, and that was one of the most intricate dances one could do.

At the refrain, they ended up face to face, and their hands trailed on each other's faces. It was something he had been thinking of for days now, since they had trained that first day on her magic. The music in the background kept playing, but they stopped. Her lips were so close to his, and his eyes locked onto hers.

After another moment, he crossed the distance separating them and pressed his lips to hers. As her lips pressed back firmly against his, he opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to flick on her lips, and coax them open.

Together they stood, battling one another for dominance in this battle. As they parted, she looked up at him, and he caught his breath.

Neither one spoke. Neither one could.

Time passed, and after a moment, he simply let go of her and allowed her to stand on her own. His hands didn't leave her face, and his thumbs trailed on her jaw bone. It was one of those cliché, corny moments that made people cringe when they saw it on movies.

It took the sounds of a car horn blaring outside for them to fully separate, and for her to look at him somewhat awkwardly.

"I don't know what came over me… I'm sorry." Wanda said, as he shook his head.

"Don't be… I'm actually glad that happened…"

He looked at her and smiled a bit, gesturing outside. "I get out of here tomorrow. Do you want to go 'Christmas' shopping? As I understand it, that holiday is in less than a month now. And exchanging gifts is customary."

She smiled. "Of course. That sounds lovely."

With that she turned and took the game out of the system. He moved the bed and things back in their original places, and he laid down on the bed. To his surprise, she came over and sat next to him, snuggling up under his armpit as he had grabbed the remote.

A few years ago, he'd have mocked himself for acting so 'domestic'. Now, he actually enjoyed the closeness.

Putting on a show they could both enjoy, they curled up in the bed, and stayed that way for a good chunk of the remainder of the day.

 ****Author's Note: I'm SO sorry it took so long to get a new chapter out. I had a lot of school work the last few weeks, and I scrapped the first time I tried to do this chapter because I didn't like where it was going. I wanted to get a kiss in there, though. I hope you enjoyed, please feel free to review if you feel so inclined to do so.****


	7. Chapter 7

M WARNING: This chapter does include a sex scene. Please read responsibly!

The white flakes poured from the sky as Loki and Wanda walked out of Avenger's Tower, no escort, nothing. Although he did have a tracker on him, just in case, but at least they weren't being babysat by the archer.

No, today, they were going Christmas shopping. Since Wanda had discovered that he really wasn't all that knowledgeable about the Christmas holiday, which, if you asked him, smacked quite a bit of the Yule holiday, she had taken it upon herself to get her into it. That had meant she had convinced Stark to put a tree in the main room of the Tower, and she herself had put baubles all over it, along with a ton of lights. He had to admit, he had felt a warmth in his chest watching her decorate that tree. It felt…comforting. She had then told him that they were going out to shop, even though it was the 24th, which was apparently the eve before this holiday, so the streets were swarming with people.

He had donned a black trench coat over his green sweater and black jeans, his hair slicked back out of his eyes, while Wanda had decided on a pair of black leggings, black and tan fur-topped winter boots, a white scarf and beret, red sweater, and a nice warm red coat with black fur trim. As soon as they had gotten outside, he had smiled at her, and offered his arm to her, which she had taken with a smile.

"It's so lovely. I miss the Sokovian winters. It was always chilly, but beautiful." Wanda said with a smile, making him nod and smile.

"I do enjoy the snow you Midgardians have. Father always wanted me to steer clear of it, but I always enjoyed it. Thor and I snuck down here once, as children. Heimdall had told us about your snows, and how they were so unlike the Frost Giant snowfalls. Your snow is softer, fluffier, and we wanted to play in it. We came down here, and we actually spent hours in an abandoned forest as kids just playing in the snow. Father was so annoyed, but it was the most fun we'd ever had together."

She smiled at him as he chuckled at that thought, and looked down to her. "So, what do people usually do on this holiday?"

Her face lit up, and she started to list things. "Well, there's cocoa, and shopping if you're brave. Christmas movies in the evening, baking, a nice meal… there's a lot."

He shrugged. "Well, you pick the things you think would be best to do, and we can do those. If you want to do it, we will."

She smiled at him, her arm tightening on his. He was making her first Christmas without Pietro far more pleasant than it would have been without him. Grinning, she pulled him into the Starbucks they were passing, and they got into the line.

Loki took in the surroundings of the coffee shop. There were people typing away on laptops, sipping various soups, and eating sandwiches. People on tablets, phones. Some were chatting with friends who were there with them. All of them were nursing various drinks.

They reached the front of the line, and Wanda ordered for them. He decided to watch the baristas make the drinks. The frothy, delicious cocoa with the whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top of it was a nice way to warm up, and as they handed her the drinks with a smile, he accepted his and smelled it. The scent of chocolate made his eyebrow arch a bit, and he took a sip, before his eyes widened. He stared at the cup. "Wanda, what all is IN this?"

She grinned. "Well, I like to get my cocoa with caramel syrup, a dash of matcha powder, some caramel brulee sprinkled on top, and extra froth."

He looked at her, his eyes still wide as he sipped it. "It's fantastic."

She smiled, as she sipped hers, and they left the coffee shop. Walking down the sidewalk, they sipped their cocoas, as she pointed out various decorations, and he would nod and discuss various ways the customs had shifted from the original celebration of Yule.

The two had a fantastic afternoon, even with all of the excitement around them. She had taken him to the mall, and at that point, they had split up. Both had bought gifts for the other, without the other one knowing it.

They got dinner in a small little eatery, and after finishing, ended up walking through the park, Christmas lights twinkling all around them beautifully. Loki smiled as he looked down at Wanda, and grasped her hand, his other hand holding onto their bags.

"I hope you've enjoyed today."

She smiled. "I did. Very much so."

As they reached a fountain, he stopped, as she looked up at him. He chuckled, before she tilted her head to the side.

"Loki? What is it?"

He smiled down at her. "I'm just thinking… Of all the things I've wanted, including power, the throne, and respect. Of all of those things… I find now that I want you more than all of those."

She blushed, smiling back at him. "Loki…"

He leaned over, before pointing above them. Right over their heads was a piece of mistletoe, which had appeared in a small green twinkling of lights. She gave him a curious look, and he smiled.

"Not all of your traditions are young, you know. Yule was around before Christmas." With that having been said, he kissed her, his lips moving on hers, as the world again seemed to pause around them. She gripped his hair, eliciting a moan from him as she raked her fingers through his hair. As they broke apart, he stared at her with hooded eyes. His hands traced her jawbone, and she panted lightly, her face flushed from the kiss.

They continued back to Avengers Tower, and as they arrived, they got up to her living quarters, and they shut the door, setting the bags in a chair. He turned her and pressed her back against the door, as she pressed her mouth to his once more. His mouth lowered to her neck as he slipped her coat off of her, and ran his hands up her legs, before wrapping his legs around her waist. He turned, the two moving in a beautiful dance, as he lay her down on the bed. He lifted himself, and removed his coat and shirt, watching as she pulled her sweater off over her head, and slipped her leggings off, the shoes having long been abandoned. He looked down at her gorgeous form, laying on her bed in a black silk bra and panties, and he moved over her.

"What have you done, witch, to bewitch me so?" he asked her, as his hand went up her ribcage. She smiled at him, and shrugged.

"Who's to say you haven't enchanted me, trickster?"

With that, he kissed her, as her hands moved at his pants. She flicked her fingers, and her magic undid his pants and zipper. She helped him out of them, noting that he wasn't wearing anything under his jeans. He kissed her neck, his hands cupping her breasts, as she allowed him to pleasure her with his hands and mouth for a while, her hips grinding against the leg that was firmly pressed against her womanhood. His hands undid her bra, and tossed it to the side.

With that, she spun them around, and left him on his back. He looked up at her with a genuine smile. "You're beautiful." He said, his voice heartfelt. Without a word, she began kissing down his stomach, her mouth moving down until she came into contact with his hardened manhood. She gripped him tightly for a moment, before lowering her mouth onto him, making him arch off the bed, sucking in air.

When he didn't think he could take any more of her ministrations, he took control of the situation, flipping them again as he removed her panties. With that, he locked his lips on her breast and plunged into her, both of them making noises of pleasure as he began to move inside her. As he brushed against her pleasure spot in her core, her insides twitched, and gripped him tightly. He groaned, his fingers gripping the bed around her, as her fingers raked down his back. The sensation was too much, but he was determined to make her finish before him. He snaked one hand between them, and began to stroke the little spot that would bring her to her peak. As he felt her tense up, moaning, he quickly began to thrust into her, as she cried out his name in ecstasy. With that, the feeling of her clenching around him drove him over the edge, and his hip jerked, as he moaned and groaned her name out. Releasing a breath, he lay next to her, and pulled her to him. She looked up at him as she rolled over, and he pulled the covers over them.

Together, the two drifted off to sleep, his lips pressed to her forehead.

They awoke to sun pouring in the windows, and a knock at the door.

"Wanda, are you in there? Hey, we're looking for Loki, no one's seen him since he went out with you." Tony was behind the door, and she sat up, pulling the blankets around her, as he yawned, and looked at her, asking her without words if he could just speak up. She nodded, and he grinned.

"We've been in here all night. If you need anything, you simply had to ask."

There was a coughing and sputtering on the other side of the door, and Tony choked out, "Right, sorry about that! Come on down to the common area, we're all exchanging gifts. When you're dressed I mean."

She chuckled at him, hitting him with her pillow, as she stood up and stretched. He lay back in the bed, taking in the magnificence that was Wanda stretching, as she spoke. "You love screwing with them, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I earned my title." He said, pointing at himself. "God of Mischief, remember?"

She laughed, and walked into the bathroom. "Well, I'm going to get a shower, and get dressed, and have some coffee with the others. Are you?"

He shrugged again. "Why not." With that, she walked into the attached bathroom, and got in the shower, as steam filled her room. He gave a smirk before getting up, and deciding to join her as she got nice and clean.

About an hour later, the two emerged, clean, and dressed in fresh clothing. Both had bags of items, and both gave a small wave as they got into the main room.

"It's nice to see you two, did you sleep well?" Natasha asked coyly, as Steve elbowed her and offered them both a coffee.

"You people need to learn about privacy in those matters." Steve muttered, as Loki sipped his coffee. With a soft smile, Loki took the gifts from Wanda, with a bit of help from his magics, and moved them under the tree. Steve offered his hand, and Loki, surprised a bit, took it.

"Merry Christmas, Loki. Or is it Yule?" Steve asked, as Loki looked at him, impressed.

"Yule was still more of a Midgardian holiday, but I appreciate the effort in researching it! Merry Christmas works just fine!"

Steve smiled and nodded, and hugged Wanda. "Merry Christmas!"

She smiled and returned the squeeze. "Merry Christmas to you as well. To everyone!" she added, gesturing to them all as she and Steve parted from their hug.

With that, they sat with the others, and began to exchange gifts. Loki stood, after most items had been given, and handed one item to each of them, all of them looking surprised. He sat back down, one last gift tucked in his pocket. Each one opened up their boxes to reveal various items. He had gotten Steve a set of vintage records, and Natasha he had given a lovely wine glass. He had given Tony a box of those little K-cups that he's addicted to, and for Bruce, he had given a stress-relief yoga DVD. He had even given Clint something, as he opened an Arrow DVD box set, eliciting a "I like this show, but the guy isn't that cool." from him.

Each Avenger there had gotten something, causing them all to uncomfortably shift, with the exception of Steve. He grabbed a box from the side of the room, and handed it to him.

"Merry Christmas, Loki. Open it."

He gave Steve a curious look, but ripped the paper off the box. Inside was custom armor, in his colors of green, gold, and black. It was leather, and durable. The design was an upgrade from his former, Asgardian design, and he looked up at Steve, genuinely pleased. "Thank you! This is magnificent! And my helmet and staff will go with it wonderfully!"

Steve stayed in front of him. "Along with that, is a permanent invite to stay on with us, as a permanent Avenger, if you want to."

Loki was stunned, as the others looked at him, awaiting an answer. "Why?" he asked, as Steve smiled.

"You've changed. And we can all see it. The way you've helped Wanda, taught her, and the way you look at her… you're not what you were when you attacked New York. You want to be here now. And we want you to stay." Natasha spoke up, and Loki blinked back tears.

"You have no idea how much that means to me. All I've wanted, since I found out about my parentage, is to feel like I belong. And I feel that here. I want to stay here. I'll gladly fight alongside you, all of you." He said, as his hand clenched around Wanda's, a smile on her face. His other hand clasped around Steve's, as the others smiled. At that, a figure who had been waiting in the shadows came forward.

Loki's head turned to see his brother, in civilian attire, with his woman, Jane. His eyes followed him as Thor walked up to him, and without a word, pulled Loki into a hug.

As they separated, Loki looked at him. "Brother?"

Thor's eyes sparkled as he heard that. "I never thought you'd say that and actually mean it ever again." He grabbed Loki's wrist, and with a wave of his hand, the bracelet dropped from his wrist. Thor pocketed it, as Loki looked at him in shock. "I told you. Once you redeemed yourself, you would find the bracelet removed. Also, you have a choice. Do you want to come back to Asgard? Or stay here?"

Loki's breath was taken from him, shocked. He had never expected to hear that, especially not at this time. He looked around at the other Avengers, and then at Wanda, and with that, he smiled at his brother. "My place is here now." He smiled at her, as she kissed him.

Thor interrupted, chuckling. "I thought you may say that. I, too, have a gift. Here." He said, handing Loki the box. Loki opened it, and lifted his helmet from it, noting the new emerald that framed the edgework. There was a box inside for Wanda, and he offered it to her, as she opened it, confused. Inside was a red corset top, a pair or sturdy red leather pants, and a red Asgardian cape, along with an M shaped head piece and pale pink sheer armor inside, to be worn underneath. As she looked questioningly at Thor, he looked at her.

"You are the reason Loki has changed. You cannot deny that. In you, he found solace, as you did. I've been watching you both, and asking Heimdall about you. As such, I felt it fitting that you be garbed in armor fit for an Asgardian goddess as well, since you already have the spirit of such a warrior."

She teared up, and smiled. "Thank you so much."

He pulled her into a hug. "As long as you live, you shall be like a sister to me. And speaking of family…" he allowed her to move back to stand next to Loki. "Father corroborated your story. He wishes to call you his son again. He claims that you saved him, and got him to his chambers, when you could have left him to rot."

Loki smiled. "Loki Odinson. That would be nice to be called that again."

Thor smiled at his brother. "Well, let us enjoy these festivities with much merriment, brother! Tis a day to be joyous!"

Loki laughed, and nodded, as he pulled Wanda against him, smiling broadly. "Yes, yes it is."

**Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I wanted to get something out for Christmas! I truly hope you all enjoy it! I wanted to bring Thor and Loki back together, and bring out the side of Loki that had been craving acceptance, and I think that was achieved here. Thank you all for being so patient!


	8. Chapter 8

It was peaceful. Too peaceful. For the weeks following the holidays, things were unusually calm. Even on the Asgardian front, things were eerily calm in a way that would make anyone suspicious.

In all honesty, it was beautiful outside. It had been snowing for about a week now, but up until now, the stuff hadn't been sticking too much. Now, though, it was coating everything, and piling up high. It was the quietest that any of them had seen the streets and such in a long time.

The weather was getting colder, though. And the meteorologists were stumped, because there was no reason it should be this frigid. The local zoo had pulled all of the animals in to keep them from freezing, it was that cold.

Loki, despite the calm, was on high alert. He was finding the cold to be suspicious, and he wasn't alone. Banner, who had come back to the tower mid-holidays and had stayed there, was also nervous and leery of the icy weather that would not let up. Especially since all of the machinery in Stark's lab was showing there was no reason for this strange weather at all.

They had taken to watching the news, and keeping track of things from there. They'd gone out once with food and supplies, and gone to houses and families that were snowed in to the point of being unable to leave, and they had done what they could to help. Stark had paid the electric for the homes of the whole city for the month, just to ensure everyone would be warm, since the electric company wasn't budging and had threatened to cut off power, in the cold, to those who had not paid. But they could not maintain this forever, and things would lead to a state of emergency if it didn't let up.

They were calling this the biggest blizzard on record, possibly of all time. And the worst part was that this blizzard was not moving, it was focused on NYC, which made it even more suspicious. Most weather fronts moved, at least. This thing was staying put. However, there was no scientific thing causing this anomaly, and whatever was causing it, not even Vision could pick it up.

So, that brings us to the current moment, whereas Stark, Banner, and Loki are in the lab, working diligently to find a way to dissipate this blizzard, or find the source, before the city ends up going the way of the dinosaurs. Because, believe it or not, his book smarts and Asgardian technological expertise may be of use.

"It defies logic… " Banner mumbled, staring at the machinery for the umpteenth time.

"Agreed. But with this mechanical upgrade, maybe we can figure out what's going on. Loki, how is the machinery installation going?" Stark asked, as Loki continued using his magic to fuse wires together, a now-filthy white tank top on, covered in sweat and smudges. Installing Asgardian tech was a pain in the rear for a skilled Asgardian who knew the machinery's workings inside and out, and impossible for a Midgardian.

"It's going, slowly. I've just about got it. I also gave your tech a few more other upgrades. Your tech was rather primitive in comparison to ours, why have you never asked Thor to upgrade your hardware?" he asked, pushing hair out of his face as he focused on his work.

Stark grumbled, as Banner chuckled. "We did, once. He said we wouldn't be able to comprehend it."

Loki rolled his eyes. "That's because he cannot comprehend it. Between you and Stark, you'll be able to figure it out. I'll teach you both what you need to know. People always misjudge, and assume my intelligence is limited to sorcery and books. I was quite studied in Asgardian sciences and technology as well. Father found it useless, I found it fascinating. AH!" he exclaimed as he finished, the whole thing lighting up as the Asgardian tech went online. He replaced all of the innards of the computer with a flick of his wrist, everything falling back into its proper place, and stood up, looking up at the screen.

Stark looked at the screen, as Loki began to hit buttons and input coding while the tech booted up. As the screen began to show an alert, Loki's face darkened, and using the holographic interface, the threat was revealed.

"Well, Banner, you weren't wrong. This isn't a weather system at all." He muttered, as Banner looked at the screen.

"What exactly is that?" he asked, as Loki's face stayed hard.

"That is ancient Magic, the likes of which we've seen on Asgard. It was used on your planet once, and my father had to step in and help to keep the Midgardians safe then. This is the magic of Jotunheim…the Casket of Ancient Winters, to be exact."

Noting that they didn't seem to be all that impressed, he moved away from the interface and brought both hands, balled into fists, to his side. He could only easily do what he was attempting if the casket was near, so he hadn't even thought to try it before now. Concentrating, his hands began to shift to a deep blue color, and it moved up his arms, the air around it misting up as frost formed on his skin. Before his chest could change, he allowed the frost to recede.

"Frost Giants." He said, as Stark's face went from confused, to alarmed.

"Whoa, whoa, wait. You mean like the Frost Giants that tried to take over Asgard? Thor told us about that." Stark said, as Loki nodded.

"The very same. You see, I technically AM a frost giant. Father adopted me, found me in a temple, when I was an infant. The Jotuns and Asgardians have similar lifespans, so it was simply an issue of spelling me to look like an Asgardian. Anyhow, I can only access what little bit of Jotun I have in my blood, in my DNA, when I am around the casket. It can bring about a deep freeze so cold, that the Midgardians would stand no chance… We're talking similar to the Ice Age that took out the beasts you call Dinosaurs." He said, as Banner's face paled, and Stark sat.

"So… what do we do?" Banner asked, as Loki sighed, and began to pace, thinking.

"We need to get that casket. But we also need to come up with a good plan. For that, we will need Rogers… my brother, Thor… and we may need more Asgardians that that… I need to speak to Thor. In the meantime, keep an eye on the monitors. If you see a portal open up from that part of the disturbance-" he pointed on the monitor, "-then gear up and head there with as much firepower as you can. These creatures can take down even Thor… If father had not come and saved us, Thor, myself, Sif, and the Warriors Three, would have all been slaughtered the day we faced them." With that, Loki took off down the halls, and headed to where he knew Thor would be. As he arrived in the living area, he nodded to Jane, who had stayed post-holidays due to the weather, and he looked Thor dead in the face. Without a word, he held up one hand, and concentrated, allowing the frost and blue to creep up his hand. As Thor jumped up in alarm, Loki allowed it to recede.

"Where is it?!" Thor asked, as Loki shook his head.

"We don't know, but we do know it's causing a disturbance that is creating this icy weather. This weather isn't moving because it was not meant to move. The Casket of Ancient Winters is the culprit."

Thor swore, and stood up. "It must have went to Jotunheim when it fell, similar to you going to the realm where the Chitauri are."

Loki nodded. "So it would seem. And they've decided to make their move now. We can't win this here…"

Thor gave him a look. "How can you say that, brother?! We can beat these arrogant fools who dare to defy the House of Odin!"

Loki's hand went to his head in irritation. "No. We can in fact beat them, but not here. They can kill too many here. If we're going to act against them, then we need to do it elsewhere, and we will need more than just the Midgardians…"

Thor gave him a look. "You don't mean…"

Loki nodded. "I do indeed. I think we need to all go to Asgard… and from there, we need to fight the Jotuns on their own turf."


	9. Chapter 9

Walking into a field, a snow-covered field mind you, the whole group was prepared for their jaunt to Asgard. Thor had gotten permission, albeit reluctant, from Odin for them all to go. It had taken a few days to make the preparations, but they were ready to go.

Loki had warned them that the jaunt was going to knock the wind out of them for a moment. As they all gathered in the area that Loki had made glow in the snow, Wanda moved over to him, shivering lightly. He had suggested they not bring a lot of Midgardian gear, as they may leave it or lose it once they arrived in Asgard. He wrapped one arm around her, but looked up as they all gathered around.

"Any time, Loki!" Steve called out. Loki's eyes did not budge. Instead, he waited for the signal from Thor that everything was ready. Moments later, a lightning bolt went across the sky, and Loki shouted to them all.

"Brace yourselves! NOW HEIMDALL!"

A flash of multicolored light flew down and hit them like a ton of bricks, and just like that, they were moving faster than the speed of sound along this light path. Wanda tightened her grip on Loki's hand, closing her eyes as she was hit by an onslaught of sensory input. The light flooded her eyes, and her ears pounded with the rush of wind and noise. Her body felt both weightless and as though it weighed a million pounds, all at once. It felt like it lasted an eternity, but it was mere seconds, and the group landed in the main room of the Bifrost bridge, and the majority of the Midgardians hit the deck momentarily, nauseated by the travel.

"If I had ever wondered what Daniel Jackson meant when he talked about gate travel on Stargate, I'd be willing to bet that would be pretty close…" Banner muttered, as he got to his feet shakily. He wiped his brow, removing a sheen of sweat. Wanda kept her mouth closed, clinging to Loki with a pale face and shaking hands.

Loki stroked her hair for a moment, as Thor allowed them all to get their wits about them. When everyone was composed, and not about to lose their cookies, Thor spoke to the man in the center of the room.

"Heimdall, I'd like to introduce you to the Avengers… Steve Rogers, who goes by Captain America, Bruce Banner, the Hulk-"

"I would like to point out that I honestly prefer the Jolly Green Giant versus that name, thanks."

"Duly noted." Thor continued. "Tony Stark, Iron Man. Clint Barton, who is also known as Hawkeye. Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch, and finally Vision. A few others stayed behind, in case the Jotuns attacked before we returned. Everyone, this is Heimdall, the keeper of the Bifrost."

Heimdall gave a smirk, and nodded. "So you are the Midgardians who have had Thor's attention. I'm sure the AllFather is curious to get to know you. Some more than others."

Thor motioned for them to follow him, and they began to walk across the giant, rainbow bridge that connected the main part of Asgard to the Bifrost. Wanda gasped as she saw Asgard, and Loki chuckled, motioning for her to continue walking.

"I guess since I've seen it countless times, it's nothing special to me anymore." He shrugged, a smirk on his face, as she shook her head.

"It's gorgeous."

They continued, seeming to take forever as they crossed the massive bridge. Reaching the main palace, they entered the building, everything around them seeming to glitter in gold and gems. Wanda's face was in awe at the beautiful building, and as they entered, she halted for a moment. Loki stopped, and pulled her to the side.

"Wanda?"

She took a deep breath. "It's silly... But he's... Loki he's a God. And from what Jane told me, he wasn't thrilled with her..."

Loki chuckled. "There's a large difference in the two situations. First off, Thor brought Jane here without permission. That was a huge mistake. Second, Jane, as spunky as the woman is, is also your quintessential damsel in distress. You, my dear, can not only fight as well as any Asgardian when you put your mind to it, but you can also wield magics more as powerful as mine, and even my mother Frigga. My father values a warrior, it is the way of our people. Even if he disapproves of us together as a couple, because you're a mortal, he will be unable to deny your prowess in battle. That is what will make the difference."

With that, he took her hand and led her behind the others, as they approached the throne of the Allfather. Loki moved to the front of the group of heroes, and took a knee with Thor. The two glanced up at Odin, as he peered down from his throne.

"So. These are the mortals who have my sons attentions?" he asked, as they simply nodded. Thor stood and introduced them to Odin, going down the list of Midgardians. As he reached Wanda, Odin looked her up and down appraisingly, but said nothing at the moment.

"Midgardians, I bid you welcome to Asgard. We have arranged for you to have quarters here, to regain your strength. You will need it, with the foes you face. We are also arranging for the armies of Asgard to assist you in your battle, which, from our intelligence, will take place on Jotunheim. We have time to stop them before they cross over to your world."

They nodded, as the Allfather stood and walked towards them. He stopped at Thor and Loki, giving each a look. "I would like to speak to my sons in private. Someone will take you all to your quarters." he said, but then looked at Wanda. "You. I want you to wait with Lady Jane. Yes, Thor, I am well aware you brought her here without my permission. Heimdall is, after all, honor bound to inform me of such things." he said, as Thor started in surprise, but said nothing. Wanda nodded, her face flushing red, as she bowed her head in respect. As she was the only one who had done so, Odin gave her a look of mild approval. He then motioned for his sons to follow him, and Loki and Thor turned and followed him out of the throne room.

As they reached another room in the palace, the last door of the final room they entered slammed shut with a loud bang, and Odin turned to face his sons, a look of annoyance on his face.

"You have brought your women here? For what? Why would you bring your Midgardian, frail women with you? Loki I can at least understand somewhat, she is a wielder of sorcery, even if she is not a warrior, but Jane? Why do you defy my, Thor? I expressly commanded that Jane was not to return to Asgard, yet you have been bringing her back and forth, like a Midgardian teenager in the throes of puberty! What do you intend to do?" Odin ranted at them, as both had the common sense to at least look contrite.

"I apologize, Father... I-"

"Do you plan to wed this Midgardian?"

Thor's eyes met Odin's as he nodded. "I do. I would give up Mjolnir to be with Jane."

Odin scoffed. "And when she is old, weak, and frail, and you are young, virile, and strong? What will you do then?"

Thor's face fell. "I would figure it out... I am sure there are ways I can become mortal..."

At that, Odin threw up a hand in annoyance. "And you, Loki? You, who have just gotten back into my good graces? Would you give up possibly inheriting the throne honestly? Would you turn mortal, and give up your immortality and vast powers, in order to be with that mortal out there?"

Loki's eyes hardened, but the slightest of nods could be seen. "I know, unlike Thor, that there are other options."

Odin's face grew angry. "Do not suggest it. The artifact has not been used since the humans were in their infancy! We will not!"

"Why not?!" Loki's voice grew angry. "These women have proven themselves in some way or another! Jane is bright, and would be an asset to our scientific teams! Wanda is a warrior, not that you have seen her prowess! She rivals myself and mother with her magics!"

Odin raised a hand to strike Loki with the mentioning of Frigga, but Thor grabbed his hand. "We came to you for assistance. These are Asgard's enemies as well. They attack Midgar to anger us, not the Midgardians. We owe them this. You angered the Jotuns first. Clean up your mess, Father." Thor said, angrily, as he turned to walk out of the room. He stopped at the door, and turned his head to glance at Odin.

"You will have to get used to Jane being around. She will need an Asgardian doctor for when she births my child." he said, as Odin's eyes widened in fury, but before he could speak, Thor was gone. Odin turned to Loki, rage in his face.

"Have you, too, impregnated your Midgardian female?" he asked, as Loki shook his head, surprised. "Did you know?" he then asked his younger son, as Loki's head shook again.

"I swear, by Valhalla, I did not. Not that it bothers me. I do not hold your prejudices, Father. I've come to appreciate the Midgardians for the strengths they possess. Now, if you do not mind, I have a brother to congratulate. I, for one, will be glad to welcome my niece or nephew into the family, even if his grandfather is not." Loki turned to leave, then stopped, and turned to his father. "Do not let this become another situation as it did with other children in this family tree...Keep in mind, differences can be a good thing." he said, as he then left the room and took off to catch up with Thor.

As he reached his brother, the God of Thunder stopped to glance at him. "Are you here to lecture me, too?" he asked, as Loki grinned.

"And agree with that bigoted old windbag? Not a chance! When is she due?" Loki asked, as Thor grinned a bit.

"The doctors here believe she is around 5 months along. We're simply not sure when she will deliver, because the gestation time for Asgardians and Midgardians vary so much."

Loki nodded at that. "Midgardians are nine months, correct? We're more along the lines of seven. And if you factor in premature births, we're looking at a birth that could happen literally any time."

Thor nodded, worry on his face. "The pregnancy has been hard on her. She has been ill. She hides it well, with her makeup, but her skin is pale and her eyes sunken in. I fear the energy and life force needed to sustain even a half-Asgardian being is too much on her. The physicians here believe that she needs more than she can get on Midgard to sustain her. And there is nothing I can do to get it to her, unless she stays here." he said, giving Loki a knowing look.

"The Fruit of Life. If you take it out of Asgard, it rots. Father would feed you to the denizens of Hel itself if he knew... You need to be careful." Loki said, concern on his face. At that, though, they walked up on the women, and Loki gave Thor a look. "Can I?" he asked, as Thor chuckled and nodded.

With his brother's approval, Loki went up to Jane and picked her up, smiling. "Congratulations are in order, from what I understand, little sister!" he said, as Jane laughed a bit.

"Thank you!" she said, as Wanda gave her a look of surprise.

"You are expecting?" she asked, as Jane nodded.

"I am. I'm about 5 months along. It was a shock believe me, I wasn't sure if Midgardians were compatible with Asgardians, DNA speaking, but I guess we are." she said, as Wanda smiled. Jane looked to Thor as Loki put her back on her feet. "I'm guessing he took that as well as we expected?"

Thor nodded. "And then some. I'm not concerned. He can strip me of my immortality, for all I care. I'll do whatever he wants, as long as you and the baby are cared for." Thor pulled Jane to him, as Loki smiled. He took Wanda by the hand, and waved.

"We'll be off now. I think Wanda would like to see the sights around Asgard." he said with a chuckle, as he wrapped her arm in his, and the two began to stroll around the beautiful city.

"Loki... Does your father hate Midgardians?" she asked, after a while. He stopped and looked at her, surprised.

"No. Why do you ask?"

"Well, just, the way Jane was talking with me about his reaction to her before... He doesn't like us very much it seems."

Loki sighed. "Father values purity among our people, which is ironic because he took in a little, weak frost giant infant and spelled it into an Asgardian. He believes, though, that us immortals should be with other immortals. Which is ridiculous to be honest, because it's not really immortality. We just age slower than you. And there are ways to make your people more long lived, but Father will not hear of it."

Wanda gave him a curious look, which made him smile lightly at her. "Way back, when the world of the Midgardians was in it's infancy, a few worthy Midgardians were chosen to use a device, an artifact, that we have, which extends their life, and gives them the longevity of a true Asgardian, if their soul is pure and they have the spirit of an Asgardian. Basically, if the thing deems you worthy, it makes you like us. Father has it locked away. But, it does exist."

With that, Loki stared out over the horizon, stopping. "Wanda... The differences in our aging will not stop me from figuring out how we can be together until we both age together...I will work this out, for our sakes, and for Thor and Jane. My brother deserves to be with his beloved and their child for all eternity."

Wanda looked over the horizon as well. "And you? Have you ever wanted a child?"

He looked down at her with a smile. "I actually have. I still do. And one day, I expect you will be the mother of my children. But we have plenty of time for that, my love. Come. Let's head to my quarters, and get some rest. We'll need to be up early tomorrow to plan our attack against Jotunheim. Time may move a bit differently here than on Midgard, but that won't buy us much time." he said, gripping her hand tightly as he led her to his quarters for some rest, and something more.


	10. Chapter 10

Wanda's eyes blinked open blearily, her face snuggled into the gold and silver pillows that she was laying upon. Yawning, she stretched, and sat up, holding the sheets to her pale skin, using her free hand to push the hair from her face delicately. She swung her feet over the edge of the bed, noting that her lover was not there.

Her bare feet went across the stone floors, her blue eyes looking to the windows. She moved to take a look outside, a small smile on her face. Despite everything, she was still happy to be here, even if it was under less than ideal circumstances.

Her eyes spotted a note left on the table in the room, and she picked it up, reading over it.

"Beloved,

I'm sorry I could not be there when you awoke. I had matters to attend to with my brother.

There is a dress in the wardrobe. I hope you like it. We are all meeting for breakfast at 9am your time. Knowing you, you will be up well before that.

I will see you there.

Loki."

She smiled fondly, and moved to the wardrobe, discovering a undergarments and a silky red dress with gold trimmings, and a gold sash to go with it. Her headpiece was there with it, and her fingers trailed the metal alloy that made up her headpiece. Moving from there to the attached bathroom, she turned the shower on and got under the hot stream of water, allowing her thoughts to wander as she washed herself.

So much had happened lately…

She had lost Pietro, but she had found someone who her soul resonated with. She had discovered how to control her magic, and had become an asset. She was finally more at ease, and it showed in the way she controlled her abilities.

She grabbed the sponge in the bath, and thoughtfully smiled. Hopefully things would stay as good as they had been recently. That was all she could hope for, to be honest.

Finishing her shower, she dried herself with a fluffy towel, and moved back to the clothes.

As she pulled the clothing on, she reached to the nearby dresser and grabbed a brush, sitting and pulling the knots from her hair. A knock at the door caught her attention, though. She stood, and walked over, a pleasant look on her face that turned to concern when she saw who was at the door.

"May I enter, Miss Maximoff?"

She backed up to allow the ruler of Asgard, the Allfather himself, into the chambers, bowing her head respectfully. He waved, a sign for her to drop the formalities.

"What can I do for you?" she asked, trying to portray confidence in her voice.

He gave her a look, before taking note of her attire. His features grew more cross as he noted the distinctly Asgardian attire she was wearing.

"We need to have a discussion about my son, Miss Maximoff." he said, giving her a direct look. She nodded. She could, after all, appreciate someone who was direct to the point. "As you more than likely know, the way my son is after all, his brother Thor's woman is expecting a child. He is unable to take the throne when I will inevitably need him to."

She gave him a questioning look. "Why not? You raised children, and took care of your kingdom? Why can't he do the same?"

He gave her another cross look. "Because my children would not age and die in the time span that it took me to fight in a battle. "

There is was. She straightened, her eyes growing more cross, if that was possible. "That should have nothing to do with that… and if I'm not mistaken, you did not exactly raise two pure blooded Asgardian sons either…"

He advanced towards her a step, causing her to raise her chin in defiance. "I saved Loki's life. Were it not for me, he would be dead. And I did my best to fix the problems of his parentage." he said, as she scoffed. She was not going to be respectful to someone who treated her like garbage.

"You made his adult life a living hell. You dangled the throne in his face like a carrot on a stick, and then you yanked it up and away. You fostered a hatred between Thor and Loki and caused them to be at each others throats. You brought war into your own household! And for years you lied to him! You told him he was something he was not, and caused him to have an emotional and mental breakdown! But he should be grateful?"

With that, Odin let out a sound of rage and moved towards her in anger, ready to strike her down where she stood. However, she raised her hand and pushed back against him with her magic, stopping him in his tracks.

"You will not speak to me that way, woman! You think you will treat me like this in my own house?!"

She shook her head, but kept the webs of red magic flowing around her, her eyes glowing a deep scarlet. "Not at all. You came in here and decided to tell me what I should do, and put down your own son."

He scoffed. "Typical. You cannot stop and think about the future. I need a son who is clear-headed to take the throne. That is not Thor any longer. You need to step aside and allow Loki to ascend to King of Asgard. Without you. He needs an Asgardian wife, who will bear him immortal heirs, not heirs who will die before he has even aged a day in your eyes. What will you do, woman? When you are frail and old, and your husband is still young? When you and I look alike in age, while my son stays the same? You are a plaything to him!"

With that, she roared in anger, before her magic exploded from her hand and threw him out the door, right as it opened back up to reveal Loki, who had been standing there listening to the end of the conversation and who was now shaking in repressed anger.

As Odin stood up, Loki held his staff down, and motioned for Wanda to come out of the room. Wanda went to him, but stood strong beside him, causing Odin to give her a strange look.

"I had thought you could go no lower, father…" he said, causing Odin to give his son a slightly sympathetic look. "You are never satisfied. Father, you know what? We do not need your plans to stop the Jotuns. Thor and I have an idea on putting a stop to all of this madness on Midgard… and then he, and I, will return there with our women. Strip us of our immortality, I care not and I know Thor would not care either. But you will not interfere."

With that, Loki allowed Wanda to walk in front of him, and as they both reached the end of the hall, he stopped. His head turned around slightly. "You once loved Mother with all of your soul. She was not of Royal blood, but you told us you had defied your father to be with a sorceress, because her power of magic and her beautiful heart made up for anything she lacked. Perhaps, Thor and I see something in Wanda and Jane that you cannot, because you have become clouded in your vision like your father before you." And with that, they left, leaving Odin to stand and stride away, both angry and thoughtful.

Once Loki and Wanda were well away from Odin, he turned to look her over, concern across his face. "Wanda… are you alright? You were not hurt at all, were you?"

"No, I am fine. Annoyed, but fine… your father is a complete bigot against Midgardians! He sees no worth for us at all, does he?"

Loki's head dipped down, but moments later he cupped her chin with his hand and had her look into his eyes. "What his views about you are, are irrelevant. I find value in your kind, as does Thor. You are important. You are powerful. One day, he will see the error in his judgment, and will, as your people put it, kick himself in the ass for it." he said, causing her to chuckle, as he got a mischievous smile on his face.

"Now, you are dressed far too beautifully to let that go to waste. And I'm sure you're hungry. Let's go to breakfast. I think the others are waiting for us there, and Thor and I have a plan to get that device from the Jotuns, but it will require everyone working in tandem."

* * *

Over breakfast, the planning was going about as well as could be expected.

"You two are out of your minds… The last time we dealt with those things, according to you, Clint Barton was put under your mind control. No offense." Tony said, sitting back with his arms crossed.

"The power in these artifacts… gems, to be more fair… is astounding. Each one has different gifts. The one I had gave me control over the mind. There is one that we recently found which gives one control over time. I believe, according to a vision Thor had, that there are six of the stones total. In fact, I think one of them, the one I had used, is in Vision's head." Loki said as he paced around the table.

Vision nodded. "He is correct. And I believe his and Thor's theory is in fact a sound one. The power of the gem and the darkness that has been witnessed with it, all seems to depend on who has the gem in his or her possession. I am not evil, and I have a gem inside of me. It is a plan worth attempting."

Natasha gave Loki a look. "Ok, you have experience with this… explain how we'd use these gems."

Thor grinned and stood up. "Actually, we only need the one. If Jane can get a machine up and running, which can harness the power of the gem we currently have, the one which controls time, then we can halt time for only the Jotuns. It's, as you Midgardians put it, like hitting the pause button, but only for them."

Loki picked up where Thor left off at that. "And once that has been done, all we'd need is a catalyst… I can manipulate ice over there, because of the Casket of Ancient Winters, and I have no idea if it would effect the powers of the 'time gem', as we can call it. So we'd need another person who can wield sorcery to control it's effects."

Wanda looked at him and nodded. "I'm guessing you mean me."

Loki nodded. "You'd come with us, but you would be our catalyst. Jane could transfer the power of the gem to you, in controlled amounts. You would then halt time for the Jotuns, stopping them dead in their tracks. We would be in and out before they knew we had even arrived, literally."

Steve nodded, having listened to the whole plan before coming to any judgments. "Sounds pretty good, but all of the mystical stuff is a bit confusing… are you sure that this time gem would be able to do this?"

Bruce, who had also been quiet, smirked. "He has no idea. Do you?" he asked Loki, who gave him a look.

"We've been experimenting with the gem, and we have some idea of what it does."

"But you aren't fully sure that it's going to work like you think it will, are you?"

Thor interjected at that. "If anyone can understand and make this work, it will be Jane. She is one of the best scientists that I know, and has actually been researching this first hand since she came into contact with the power gem, which we called the Aether. We are, slowly, beginning to figure out what each gem does, as we come into contact with them and their power remnants can be studied. Jane can do this."

With that, there was silence, as everyone thought the idea over. They would not get many chances, and their time was running out… the armies of Asgard were smaller than they once were, while the armies of the Jotuns had grown, according to the intel they had gotten.

This may be their only chance.

Steve looked up, his eyes hard, but determined. "We'll do it. We try this. We have no other ideas, and we're running out of time."

* * *

And running out of time they were. As the little gem in the science wing of Asgard glowed, far off in another part of the Galaxy, five explorers, a ragtag little group, were tracking down the power coming from the gem in waves, and had set a course, in their new ship, directly to Asgard, hopping across the realms at a swift pace.

On the ship, one particular, scientifically oriented, and adorably furry, individual was taking readings from the gem with a smirk on his face. Adjusting his gun on his hip, the small but fierce little creature looked down at the incredibly small, wooden child-like individual next to him, and chuckled.

"Looks like we're getting ready to get another one of those damn stones. We've only been looking for one for months now. You ready for this, buddy?"

The smaller of the two had a smile on his face, and his eyes shone with innocent excitement. He uttered three words.

"I am Groot!"


	11. Chapter 11

As Jane wiped sweat from her brow, she clicked at the Asgardian control panel, speaking to the others through her ear piece.

"I'm ready, you guys. Are you sure you're ok to do this Wanda?" she asked, as Wanda's voice clicked through.

"As ready as I will ever be, Jane." she said, steeling herself, her corset uniform keeping her warm, and her headpiece that she wore on her forehead acting as a magical conduit, thanks to some adjustments. They would be truly on their own once they were there, and as frightening as that was, they were ready for this.

Loki's head turned to glance down at Wanda, her eyes set with concentration. He had noted that her magic was intensified here, perhaps because she was able to connect to the power that flowed through Asgard, the magical core that made everything flow here. However, this was not the time to be loving and overprotective… they had a job to do.

As they headed to the Bifrost, Heimdall nodded his head at the group. Steve walked to him, and extended his hand, as Heimdall took it.

"Thank you, Heimdall. We'll give a hollar when we need a ride back home." he said, as Heimdall nodded. 

"Good luck. All of you. You shall need it."

With that, they walked through the flash of light, and landed in a very, very cold place, which would normally cause the Midgardians there to shiver, however, thinking ahead, Thor had gotten them warming devices which attached to their clothing and armor, keeping them toasty and comfortable in the frigid weather.

They began to walk through the snow, following the power as Loki felt it. Soon enough, they found exactly what they were looking for. With that, Thor radioed to Jane.

"Activate it now, Jane!"

She hit the button, and backed up carefully, as the device glowed a bright yellow, and sent a beam of light up into the skies. At that moment, the light crashed down on Wanda, causing her to let out a shriek of pain, her hands flying to her head, the agony of the power from the gem overwhelming her. Loki moved forward, his face terrified, before she held her hand up, breathing deep. "I… am alright… Jane, quickly… tone it down a notch." she said, as they Jotuns began coming for them. After a second, the power dampened slightly, and she opened her now yellow glowing eyes, and moved her hands off to her sides, yellow jolts of power crackling around her and ebbing outwards.

With that, the Jotuns stopped in their tracks. Loki smirked at her, beaming. 

"Well done, beloved."

She smirked in return, but looked strained. "I cannot maintain this forever… move fast." she said, as he kissed her forehead, nodding.

"We'll be quick. Hide, because if it does go wrong, you may be weak once this power has left you." With that, they were taking off, Loki's skin turning a pale blue tone as they moved, markings etching themselves all over his skin. It was going better than they had hoped, since no one had unfrozen, and even the time around them had seemed to stop. Not a single snowflake fell to the ground.

Moving into the ancient temple, Thor and Loki headed the group, as they neared the center where the Casket of Ancient Winters was located. Loki took a breath, and moved to grab the device, right as a loud noise was heard outside of the temple. They all gave each other a look, and headed back out, in time to see a large ship in the air outside, moving to where Wanda was.

Thor gripped his hammer, and Loki paled. What the hell was going on now?

-

Wanda glanced up at the people who had landed, and particularly at the small, walking raccoon. The one with an odd mask looked at him, and spoke.

"Do it, Rocket." 

With that, the one he called Rocket grinned, and his a button on a remote. A field of energy flowed from their ship, and caused a backlash of power to flow from the center outwards, a heavy beam of yellow hitting Wanda square in her chest, and back on Asgard, the same thing happening to Jane, as both women simultaneously cried out, their voices echoing in the earpieces, and they crumpled to their respective grounds.

Loki and Thor, both having looks of dread on their faces, ran as fast as they could, as the others moved equally as fast to keep up. They didn't make it to Wanda, though, as the Jotuns were free from the power of the time gem, and were moving towards them. It took mere minutes for them all to be overwhelmed, captured, and beaten, including Banner, who had turned into the Hulk during the battle.

Rocket moved towards Wanda, poking her, then shrugging. "I think this one's dead."

"Dude! You said that thing wasn't going to hurt anyone!" Peter gave Rocket a look, and Rocket shrugged.

"How was I to know they were using the stupid thing?"

"DUDE!"

"Enough, both of you! Drax, grab the woman, and bring her onto the ship… we'll need her if she wakes."

Hours later, Wanda awoke with a splitting headache, an aching body, and in a strange place. As she sat up, gasping, she felt her wrists bound in cuffs. She struggled with them for a moment, as the door opened to the room she was in.

"You won't get those off. They're made to stop some pretty powerful criminals, like you and whoever you were working with to use that gem."

She blinked, she shook her head. "Criminals? What are you…?"

Peter leaned against the door, shaking his head. "It's a shame, you're awfully pretty to be a criminal…"

She gave him a nasty look at that. "I'm also taken, thanks."

He shrugged. "Oh well. Wanna share what you were doing with that thing?"

She struggled again, before throwing her hands down in pure agonized defeat. "Where is Loki? Thor? What have you done with them? Why are you attacking the Earth? You do not look like the Jotuns as Loki described them to me-"

At that, Peter gave her an odd look, and held up a hand, motioning her to stop as he spoke. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Jotuns? What's a Jotun? Attacking Earth? What are you talking about?"

She looked at him wide eyed, as the other Guardians listened from around the corner. As she finished her tale, Peter had a dark look on his face. He turned to Rocket. "Bring up some broadcasts from Earth… information on the Avengers… see if she's telling the truth."

Rocket shook his head in exasperation. "You see a pretty pair of legs and you just lose your stupid mind… this reminds me of when you almost died saving Gamora, you know."

Peter rolled his eyes, as the broadcasts about the deadly cold began airing on their monitors. The silence as they listened to the stories of children freezing, hospitals unable to function, and food being almost non-existent, was more deafening than the noise had been.

Wanda's eyes welled up, and her hands flew to her mouth. "They're dying… we're taking too long…"

With that, Rocket accessed Avengers Tower, and the database files on the whole team popped up.

"Scarlet Witch?" He asked, looking at her, his eyebrow arched in skepticism. "Interesting name, legs. And Loki…God of Mischief? Seriously? Thor? Captain America?"

At that, Peter's eyes grew wide, and he looked over at Rocket, moving to the monitor. "Whoa, wait a minute, THE Captain America? My mom used to tell me about him, he's dead!"

"He's not… well… he wasn't before you all used your machine…"

At that, Peter immediately moved to Wanda and unclasped her hands. "I am so freaking sorry…" he said, as she rubbed her wrists.

"I understand…I'd have likely done the same… We need to find the others… they were in the temple, trying to get the Casket of Ancient Winters…"

"We'll help you. It will help us make up for interfering… You have to understand, every other instance we've encountered someone with a gem, they've been evil… but we sensed two of them near your location, well, the power from one and another one…" Gamora said, as Wanda nodded.

"You were sensing Vision… he was with the others…"

"So you're telling me a bunch of Frost Giants who wanna destroy the Earth to get back at the Asgardian race have this other gem now?" Rocket said, giving Groot a look.

Wanda nodded, and Groot shook his head. "I am Groot…"

"I know, I know, I need to stop jumping into this crap without knowing everything…" Rocket grumbled, as Peter extended his hand. Wanda took it, and he smirked a bit.

"Well, Wanda… I'm Peter Quill… you can call me Star-Lord. This is Gamora, and Drax… and the small one with an inferiority complex is Rocket Raccoon, but call him Rocket. The cute one is Groot. And we're the Guardians of the Galaxy."


	12. Chapter 12

Loki awoke to the sounds of stomping. Glancing around, he took in the faces of the other Avengers. His brother was shackled, covered in deep purple bruises. He had obviously not gone down without a fight. The rest were in slightly better shape.

He was willing to bet that, as a 'traitor' and a considered Asgardian, he was in worse shape than Thor was.

He had, however, noted that thankfully Wanda was not among them. Meaning, she had gotten away, or, well… the other option was not, in his mind, an option.

As one particular Jotun came into view, Loki took notice that Tony was awake and trying to move. His mask had been ripped from his suit, and sparks were coming out from points on the chest and legs.

"Stark… tell me that thing is operational?" Loki asked, grimacing as Tony shook his head.

"Hardly… it's in the middle of self-repairs. We're looking at about 30 minutes, minimum, before I can do anything…"

Loki's eyes took in everything, and he blew out a puff of air, which immediately turned to a thick fog from the cold. It was then he noted that he was stripped of the over-armor which had protected him from Jotunheim's bitter cold. Glancing at the rest, he noted they, too, were stripped of their ice-protectant gear.

"At this rate, we'll perish from the cold… Even Thor and I aren't immune to the bitter ice here… And Natasha isn't looking well at all." he said, glancing at the shivering Black Widow.

Tony laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I noticed. My suit won't keep me warm for much longer…"

Loki chuckled a bit as the Jotun who had entered grabbed him by the shackles, and dragged him forward. "You will come with me… snake. Do not think we have forgotten how you betrayed us, even though we were of your blood. Although, you've made yourself more Asgardian than Jotun anymore… That is alright. We have plans to make you pay for your crimes against us."

"As I recall, I backstabbed you because you planned to backstab me?" he said, earning a cold hand to his throat. He forced a grin on his face, staring at the Jotun.

If he was going down, it wouldn't be without being a smart ass.

At that moment, Peter Quill happened to be leading his ragtag team plus one towards the temple, where Wanda had said they had been headed. He glanced down at Rocket, who had a fairly excited looking Groot on his shoulder.

"You ready?"

"Piece of cake." Rocket said, smirking. With that, Star-Lord nodded at the rest, and then motioned at Rocket.

"Do it."

Loki glanced over at the flat device that had been thrown into the temple, confused, as it emitted a blast of heat which caused the Jotun to drop him and back up, cowering away from the wave of heat. With that, he watched as a man with a strange metal mask and a red coat casually walked in, using his guns to shoot at the Jotuns that were off to the sides in the massive temple. Behind him was a green woman in tight leather with twin blades, and to her side was a larger, muscular man with smaller daggers. Bringing in the rear, much to his surprise, was a small raccoon with a living miniature tree on his shoulder, and his Wanda, who was throwing hex bolts with a determined look on her face.

"Wanda…" he smirked, as she rushed forward ahead of the others. He held up his shackles, and motioned towards the others. "A little help, beloved?"

She nodded, and sent a bolt through each of their shackles, destroying them in a flash and releasing them all. The vast majority landed in a heap, their bodies shaking lightly with the cold. As Wanda knelt next to Loki, he caressed her face lightly and smirked.

"I've been waiting for you, what took you so long?"

She gave him a look and shook her head. "Thank you would suffice, Loki."

"I have much better ways to thank you saved up for when we're back on Asgard."

Rocket gagged lightly. "I'm gonna hurl…"

"Loki, did you get the Casket?" Wanda asked, as his face turned to a frown.

"No. We didn't, we were captured before we could do so… We have to get it…"

"New York is dying… and the ice is spreading… we have to do this or die trying." Wanda said, as he nodded, standing, before taking a deep breath and allowing his skin color to turn a pale blue hue.

"WHOA WHOA! What the heck!" Peter exclaimed, as Loki shrugged.

"I'll explain later. I have more power this way, believe me I don't like this form… Can some of you help them? They're freezing…"Loki said, motioning towards the other Avengers.

"Drax and I will help get them onto our ship. Are you sure you can handle this alone?" Gamora asked, as Loki nodded, then gestured to Thor, who had awoken and was now standing.

"Oh, we will be fine now. Do you have more of those heat weapons?"

"I'm locked and loaded." Rocket grinned.

With that, Loki nodded, and turned, Wanda beside him. "Wanda… straight through there is the Casket. Let the small one there throw a heat weapon in there, and then we have to run for it, grab it, and get it out of here. They're stronger around that thing. Once it's not here, and it's shut, Midgard should begin to recover and the ice should subside."

She nodded, then looked to Quill as he spoke. "Then let's get a move on. Oh. And we want the Infinity Gem."

Loki looked at him in surprise. "Which one? There's one powering our friend there, and one back on Asgard…"

"Both. We need to take them for safe keeping."

"Well, that won't happen. Vision keeps his. It's what powers him, and gives him life." Wanda said, as Peter shook his head.

"Look, we can talk about this later, alright? This isn't the time or the place. Asgard will gladly give up the one we have, if that will work as a compromise. But again, we'll discuss it later. Priorities, people." Loki said, as Thor nodded, moving behind him. Thor's hand rose up, and with a crash, Mjolnir came flying into his hand.

Gamora and Drax began helping any Avenger that could not get up on their own to their feet so that they could be carried out, and those that had the strength to run were given a hand, and they made their way to the exit, battle-worn and exhausted.

With that, they all turned, and began moving towards the center of the temple. Rocket tossed in another heat-blasting grenade, and with that, they rushed in, using their various gifts to make their way to the center of the room. Loki, for once, was using Jotun-based powers, which fascinated Wanda, causing the various Jotuns in the room to freeze as they were hit with his icy blast. Thor rushed forward to touch the Casket, remove it, and cried out in pain, drawing his hand back.

Quickly, Loki turned and rushed to Thor, who showed his brother his wounded hand.

"It's frostbitten… the Casket has been open too long. The ancient cold is spreading out far past what it should normally be…" Loki said, as Wanda moved forward, holding one Jotun back with a hex blast.

"We have to grab it. We do not have a choice." she said, moving forward to grab it herself, when Loki's hand grabbed her arm.

"I'll get it. I've got the best chance of the least harm coming to me. I know my DNA was altered, so I am not Jotun, for the most part, but perhaps the fractions of Jotun DNA I have left in me will let me take that cursed thing so we can lock it back up, for good."

Without waiting for a reply, he moved to the Casket and lifted it from the pedestal… and promptly hit the floor as his hands froze to it, instantly covering them in a layer of hard ice. Wanda's hands flew to her mouth as she moved to help him, his face a grimace of pain, as he looked at them. "The… the quicker we get out… the less power… the less power it should have." he said, as Wanda helped him back to his feet.

They took off for the exit, focusing on getting out in one piece. Rocket tossed the last heat-blast out, and then looked at them as he ran, Groot on his shoulder. "That was the last one!"

Peter glanced back at Loki, who was falling behind, and stopped. He motioned for the others to move, then, without another thought, he pushed Loki in front of him. "I'll cover you. Get out of here, get away from this place, and get that thing shut off!"

With that, the group had Rocket in front, Thor next, with Wanda helping Loki as they ran out, and Peter bringing up the rear. Once they had cleared the center of the temple, and had gotten to the exit, Wanda stopped, as Loki grimaced, but looked at her.

"What's up, Red?" Rocket asked, as she glared.

"This place… those creatures… they are cruel. And that place is the main place where that damn thing can be used, right?" she asked Loki, as he nodded, confused. "So… what if they get it again? And they use it to try and kill us again… I can't see another Sokovia happen when I could have stopped it." she said, and with that, recognition dawned on Loki's face.

"Wanda, you can't do that. You'd have to be close to it, you'd risk being killed by the debris!"

"I know, my love. But I cannot sit by when another genocide could happen on my watch…" Her face was pure determination as Thor grabbed Loki and pulled him back.

"Let go! Wanda, come back to the ship!" The desperation in his voice tugged at her heart strings, as she turned to look at Thor, who had a gaze of understanding.

"I've got him."

She nodded, and with that, Peter and Rocket nodded at her, and both began helping Thor drag a protesting Loki, hands still bound to the Casket, back to the ship.

She turned to face the building in front of her, and let out a deep breath. "It's time I make up for Sokovia. For Pietro…" She then raised her hands, and power rippled through her fingers, and flashes of red flared up, moving through each and every icy stone holding the building up. She walked forward, her eyes glowing a deep reddish hue as she made the building tremble and shake around her. She moved into the building, as the Jotuns fled around her. The battle had been lost, the Casket taken and the temple shaking down to it's core. They had no reason left to stay.

As she made it back to the center of the temple, her fingers twitched, and a pulse similar to that she released in Sokovia surged from her, making the whole building tremble and shake around her. With a loud cry, she released a massive pulse blast of chaos magic, knocking the icy bricks around her down at the base level. As the world fell around her, she closed her eyes, and braced herself for the impending end that was coming for her. She sighed lightly, a peaceful smile on her face as the building fell.

"I love you."

* * *

"YOU HAVE TO GO BACK!"

On the ship, Loki was losing his mind. The ice binding his hands to the Casket was beginning to thaw, but it wasn't going fast enough. He was still trapped, his hands stuck to the thing, and his body was weak from the cold that it had emitted. He hadn't had the strength to fight Thor or the other two as they had wrangled him towards the ship, and he hadn't cared one bit when everyone had stared at him as he yelled at them once he was in a seat.

"Brother… do you think I would leave my sister to die out there in that mess?" Thor asked, shooting Loki a look. A brief flash of hope went across Loki's face as Thor moved to the exit of the ship. He then turned, before jumping out, and looked to Peter. "Get up and off of this icy grave. I'll bring Wanda back." With that, he jumped out of the ship, and spun his hammer, taking off into the sky as a massive red pulse shot across the landscape, making everything tremble.

"Ok, Rocket, co-pilot now please. We're getting up and out of here!" Peter shouted, as he moved quickly to the pilot's chair, Rocket right behind him, and the two began pushing buttons and moving levers to get the ship in the air, pronto. As the ship shuddered to life and rose high above Jotunheim, Loki looked down at the temple, watching it fall, his face pale with fear.

* * *

As Wanda waited for the building to fall around her, she felt… well, it had felt like a blast, coming off to the side. Her eyes went wide open, and she stared as Thor entered the temple as it fell, grinning lightly and motioning for her. She ran up to him, grinning in disbelief. "I told you to go with Loki!" she said, as he shrugged.

"You didn't think I'd leave my sister here to perish in a Jotun temple, did you?" That having been said, he pulled her against him, sent his hammer spinning, and the two took off as the building finally fully collapsed around them.

As they flew above the ruins, she looked up at Thor, curiosity on her face. "Sister?" she finally asked.

Thor grinned, slowing his flight a moment. "Do you not really think that, one day, possibly very soon, my brother will not make you his bride in the same way I plan to do for Jane? He would give up his immortality for you, Wanda. Even if you are technically not now… you will be my sister soon enough."

She smiled at that, as Thor took them to the ship, where the rest of them were waiting.

On the ship, they had gained enough altitude, and with the destruction of the temple, Loki's hands had unfrozen and his body had shifted back to his Asgardian, seemingly human appearance. The Casket was shoved off to the side, and he was staring out, trying to catch a glimpse of red in the rubble.

"Come on, come on…" Loki muttered, his eyes frantic and fearful. Before anyone could move to comfort him, reassure him, a flash of lightning off to the side and a thud caused him to whip his head around. The back of the ship opened, and with another thud, two people dropped in. He stood, and let out a light chuckle that turned into a gleeful laugh, as his arm extended and pulled the tired, but relieved Wanda into his arms, against his bare chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, as his hands went to cradle the back of her neck and play with her hair at the back of her neck. His eyes met Thor's, and he nodded, smiling at him in return.

As they pulled apart after a moment, he smiled at her with firm eyes. "The next time you want to play wrecking crew, let me know in advance. The Warriors Three love breaking things into little bits, they'd be glad to do it for you." he said, getting a barking laugh out of Thor. She chuckled, pressing her face harder into his chest.

Peter looked back at them all. "Not to break up a touching scene here, but… where's this Asgard and what's the fastest way there?"

Thor grinned a bit, as Bruce groaned. "Oh no. I do not want to do that again…" he said, making Thor laugh once more.

"I suggest, my newfound friends, that you hold on to something. Heimdall, if you're listening, now would be a good time. Bring us home!"

With that, Loki gripped Wanda to him and held on to something, as she sighed. "I always hate this part."

Rocket gave Thor a strange look. "Who the hell are you talking to, GoldiloooooooCCCKSSSHOLYSHITTTTTT!"


End file.
